title: Increased choroidal blood flow velocity with regression of unilateral acute idiopathic maculopathy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The pathogenesis of unilateral acute idiopathic maculopathy (UAIM) is unknown. The aim of this study was to quantitatively examine changes in choroidal circulation hemodynamics in patients with UAIM.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a retrospective observational case-series which included five eyes of four patients with UAIM. All UAIM eyes and the fellow eyes in remaining three patients were studied using laser speckle flowgraphy (LSFG) to evaluate the mean blur rate (MBR), a quantitative index of relative blood flow velocity. The changes in MBR between the initial visit and after 1 and 3 months were statistically analyzed. Subfoveal choroidal thickness was measured in three UAIM eyes by enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean logMAR value of best-corrected visual acuity in the UAIM eyes significantly improved (P = 0.04) with recovery of outer retinal morphology. The average MBR of the UAIM eyes significantly increased at 1 (+21.7% baseline value; P = 0.003) and 3 months (+32.5% baseline value; P = 0.001), whereas the fellow eyes did not show this tendency. The mean values of subfoveal choroidal thickness decreased with time (316.0 µm at baseline, 186.6 µm at 1 month, and 167.3 µm at 3 months).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results reveal that there is a significant elevation of choroidal blood flow velocity and substantial reduction of choroidal thickness with regression of UAIM, suggesting that impaired choroidal circulation may be involved in the pathogenesis of UAIM.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hashimoto
authors.forename: Wataru
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.forename: Michiyuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.forename: Kiriko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hirooka
authors.forename: Shohei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.forename: Kousuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Noda
authors.forename: Susumu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ishida
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D002829:Choroid / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000473:pathology; D004338:Drug Combinations; D005260:Female; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D058449:Intravitreal Injections; D017078:Laser-Doppler Flowmetry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012164:Retinal Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D014222:Triamcinolone Acetonide / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D004338:Drug Combinations; D005938:Glucocorticoids; D011239:Prednisolone; D014222:Triamcinolone Acetonide