title: Morpho-functional correlation of fundus autofluorescence in Stargardt disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To correlate patterns in short-wavelength (SW) and near-infrared (NIR) fundus autofluorescence (FAF) with morpho-functional outcomes in eyes affected by Stargardt disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-four eyes of 27 patients were prospectively enrolled. All patients underwent a complete ophthalmologic examination including SW-FAF, NIR-FAF, microperimetry and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). The main outcome measures were identification of a correlation between NIR-FAF and SW-FAF patterns within the foveal region and best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) values. Secondary outcome measures were correlation of FAF patterns with SD-OCT findings and retinal sensitivity on microperimetry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eyes showing a pattern of foveal hyper-FAF on NIR-FAF had a higher BCVA than eyes with a reduced FAF signal (0.44±0.23 LogMAR vs 1.08±0.19, p<0.001). Similarly, mean sensitivity within 2° of the foveal region was significantly better (6.45±2.39 dB) in eyes with hyper-FAF than in eyes with hypo-FAF (0.23±0.45 dB, p<0.001). Moreover, eyes with hyper-FAF on SW-FAF did not present a significant difference in BCVA (0.73±0.31 vs 0.83±0.43, p=0.335) and mean retinal sensitivity (4.34±3.91 dB vs 2.33±2.96, p=0.07) compared with the subgroup with foveal hypo-FAF. The integrity of both the photoreceptor inner/outer segment junction and the photoreceptor outer segment/retinal pigmented epithelium junction was significantly correlated with a preserved BCVA and a foveal hyper-FAF pattern on NIR-FAF.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data suggest that NIR-FAF patterns correlate with morpho-functional outcomes in eyes affected by Stargardt disease. Longitudinal investigations are warranted to assess more precisely the actual contribution of NIR-FAF in the clinical characterisation of Stargardt disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University Vita-Salute, Scientific Institute San Raffaele, Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Maurizio Battaglia
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Parodi
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Fondazione G. B. Bietti per l'Oftalmologia, IRCCS (Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico), Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Pierluigi
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Iacono
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University Vita-Salute, Scientific Institute San Raffaele, Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Giacinto
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Triolo
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University Vita-Salute, Scientific Institute San Raffaele, Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: La Spina
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University Vita-Salute, Scientific Institute San Raffaele, Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Ilaria
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Zucchiatti
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University Vita-Salute, Scientific Institute San Raffaele, Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria Vittoria
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Cicinelli
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University Vita-Salute, Scientific Institute San Raffaele, Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Borrelli
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University Vita-Salute, Scientific Institute San Raffaele, Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria Pia
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Manitto
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University Vita-Salute, Scientific Institute San Raffaele, Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Elisabetta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Martina
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University Vita-Salute, Scientific Institute San Raffaele, Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bandello
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D005453:Fluorescence; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005584:Fovea Centralis / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005654:Fundus Oculi; D006801:Humans; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000151:congenital* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012684:Sensory Thresholds; D000080362:Stargardt Disease; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D014792:Visual Acuity; D058609:Visual Field Tests / Q000379:methods; D014794:Visual Fields / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Retina