title: Peripapillary Choroidal Thickness and Choroidal Area in Glaucoma, Ocular Hypertension and Healthy Subjects by SD-OCT.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The exact pathogenesis of open angle glaucoma and ocular hypertension remains unclear. Hemodynamic influences are discussed as potential risk factors and the choroid may play an important role in the pathogenesis of open angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension. The current study investigates peripapillary choroidal thickness and choroidal area in patients with open angle glaucoma, subjects with ocular hypertension and healthy subjects using spectral-domain OCT. It furthermore assesses the association between peripapillary choroidal thickness and age, central corneal thickness, refractive error and intraocular pressure.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospectively recorded data of 213 eyes of 177 open angle glaucoma patients, 73 eyes of 50 subjects with ocular hypertension and 152 eyes of 116 healthy control subjects were analyzed by fitting a linear mixed model including age and disease.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Peripapillary choroidal thickness was thinnest in glaucoma patients (125 µm), followed by healthy subjects (127 µm) and ocular hypertensive subjects (135 µm). A marginally significant difference was present between ocular hypertension and glaucoma (p=0.059). Thickest choroids were found superiorly and thinnest choroids inferiorly. Choroidal area was highest in the supero-nasal and lowest in the infero-temporal sectors. Choroidal thickness decreased with age, no significant correlation was evident between peripapillary choroidal thickness and refractive error or intraocular pressure. Peripapillary choroidal thickness and central corneal thickness are significantly negative correlated in healthy subjects.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is a trend towards thicker choroids in ocular hypertensive subjects compared to healthy subjects or glaucoma patients. Thickest choroids are found superiorly, thinnest inferiorly. Interestingly, choroidal area is thinnest in the temporal-inferior sector, one of the regions where glaucomatous damage tends to start.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University Medical Centre of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz (Head of Department: Prof. Dr. med. Norbert Pfeiffer).
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lamparter
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University Medical Centre of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz (Head of Department: Prof. Dr. med. Norbert Pfeiffer).
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schulze
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University Medical Centre of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz (Head of Department: Prof. Dr. med. Norbert Pfeiffer).
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Riedel
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University Medical Centre of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz (Head of Department: Prof. Dr. med. Norbert Pfeiffer).
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wasielica-Poslednik
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics (IMBEI), University Medical Centre of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz (Head of Department: Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Maria Blettner).
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: König
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University Medical Centre of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz (Head of Department: Prof. Dr. med. Norbert Pfeiffer).
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pfeiffer
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University Medical Centre of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz (Head of Department: Prof. Dr. med. Norbert Pfeiffer).
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002829:Choroid / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D005902:Glaucoma, Open-Angle / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009798:Ocular Hypertension / Q000473:pathology*; D009887:Ophthalmoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D009929:Organ Size; D012016:Reference Values; D012030:Refractive Errors / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence / Q000379:methods*