title: En Face Optical Coherence Tomography for Visualization of the Choroid.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess posterior pole choroid patterns in healthy eyes using en face optical coherence tomography (OCT).
  
  
  METHODS
  This observational study included 154 healthy eyes of 77 patients who underwent en face OCT. The mean age of the patients was 31.2 years (standard deviation: 13 years); 40 patients were women, and 37 patients were men. En face imaging of the choroidal vasculature was assessed using an OCT Optovue RTVue (Optovue, Fremont, CA). To generate an appropriate choroid image, the best detectable vessels in Haller's layer below the retinal pigment epithelium surface parallel plane were selected.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Images of diverse choroidal vessel patterns at the posterior pole were observed and recorded with en face OCT. Five different patterns of Haller's layer with different occurrences were assessed. Pattern 1 (temporal herringbone) represented 49.2%, pattern 2 (branched from below) and pattern 3 (laterally diagonal) represented 14.2%, pattern 4 (doubled arcuate) was observed in 11.9%, and pattern 5 (reticular feature) was observed in 10.5% of the reference plane.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In vivo assessment of human choroid microvasculature in healthy eyes using en face OCT demonstrated five different patterns. The choroid vasculature pattern may play a role in the origin and development of neuroretinal pathologies, with potential importance in chorioretinal diseases and circulatory abnormalities.
authors.forename: Maria Cristina
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Savastano
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rispoli
authors.forename: Alfonso
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Savastano
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lumbroso
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002829:Choroid / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000098:blood supply*; D005260:Female; D064368:Healthy Volunteers; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D055815:Young Adult