title: [Are there diurnal variations in choroidal thickness?].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Measurement of diurnal choroidal thickness in healthy eyes to investigate thickness variations.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 30 healthy eyes in 30 subjects were examined at 6 predefined times within 24 h. Choroidal thickness was visualized using the 7-line scan of spectral domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) with enhanced depth imaging (Spectralis, Heidelberg Engineering) and manually measured by two independent observers. For statistical analyses the mean value was calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean choroidal thickness was 270 ± 87 µm. Choroidal thickness changes from baseline ranged between - 47 µm and + 41 µm. There was a statistically significant negative correlation between baseline choroidal thickness and the thickness in examinations at 10:30 am, 1:30 pm and 4:30 pm with the Spearman correlation test. Due to the large diversity in the individual diurnal fluctuations, a significant diurnal variation of choroidal thickness was not observed. There was a significant negative correlation between age and choroidal thickness.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this study a significant diurnal variation of choroidal thickness was not observed. Patient age correlated negatively with choroidal thickness.
authors.affiliation: Universitätsaugenklinik Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 400, 69120, Heidelberg, Deutschland, Stefanie.pollithy@med.uni-heidelberg.de.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pollithy
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Höh
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dobner
authors.forename: G U
authors.initials: GU
authors.lastname: Auffarth
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dithmar
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000502:physiology*; D002829:Choroid / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence / Q000379:methods*