title: Luminal and stromal areas of choroid determined by binarization method of optical coherence tomographic images.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the proportion of luminal and stromal areas of normal choroids in the optical coherence tomographic (OCT) images obtained by enhanced depth imaging (EDI)-OCT.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective, masked, observational cross-sectional study.
  
  
  METHODS
  setting: This study was performed at the Kagoshima University Hospital, Japan.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and eighty right eyes of 180 healthy volunteers (106 women; mean age of 55.9 years) without ocular pathology. observational procedures: The EDI-OCT images of the posterior choroid 7500 μm from the optic disc in the horizontal plane were converted to binary images. The total cross-sectional choroidal area, luminal area, and stromal area of the choroid were measured.
  
  
  METHODS
  Correlations between clinical factors and each choroidal structure and ratio of luminal/stromal areas were determined. The correlations of each choroidal structure and the age, sex, axial length (AL), and refractive errors were calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean total cross-sectional choroidal area was 1.84 mm(2) (luminal area 1.21 mm(2) and stromal area 0.63 mm(2)). Multivariate analysis (standardized partial regression coefficient) showed that age (-0.723, P < .001) was significantly correlated with the reduced area of the choroid, and the correlation was greater than that for the AL (-0.408, P < .001). The ratio of luminal/stromal area was significantly reduced in eyes with longer ALs (-0.531, P < .001), and the strength of the correlation was greater than that of age (-0.389, P < .001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although both the luminal and the stromal areas decrease with increasing age and with longer ALs, the degree of decrease and areas affected were not the same.
authors: Department of Ophthalmology, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima, Japan.
authors: Shozo
authors: S
authors: Sonoda
authors: Department of Ophthalmology, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima, Japan. Electronic address: tsakamot@m3.kufm.kagoshima-u.ac.jp.
authors: Taiji
authors: T
authors: Sakamoto
authors: Department of Ophthalmology, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima, Japan.
authors: Takehiro
authors: T
authors: Yamashita
authors: Department of Ophthalmology, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima, Japan.
authors: Eisuke
authors: E
authors: Uchino
authors: Department of Ophthalmology, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima, Japan.
authors: Hiroki
authors: H
authors: Kawano
authors: Department of Ophthalmology, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima, Japan.
authors: Naoya
authors: N
authors: Yoshihara
authors: Department of Ophthalmology, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima, Japan.
authors: Hiroto
authors: H
authors: Terasaki
authors: Department of Ophthalmology, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima, Japan.
authors: Makoto
authors: M
authors: Shirasawa
authors: Department of Ophthalmology, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima, Japan.
authors: Masatoshi
authors: M
authors: Tomita
authors: Department of Ophthalmology, Kyushu University Graduate School of Medicine, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors: Tatsuro
authors: T
authors: Ishibashi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D058452:Axial Length, Eye / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D002829:Choroid / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D064368:Healthy Volunteers; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D007429:Intraocular Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012030:Refractive Errors / Q000503:physiopathology; D012737:Sex Factors; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D014065:Tonometry, Ocular; D055815:Young Adult