title: Association of Diabetic Macular Nonperfusion With Outer Retinal Disruption on Optical Coherence Tomography.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Diabetic macular nonperfusion leads to decreased perifoveal capillary blood flow, which in turn causes chronic ischemia of the retinal tissue. Using point-to-point correlation between spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and nonperfusion on fluorescein angiography, we observed that retinal capillary nonperfusion is associated with photoreceptor compromise on OCT. This study highlights a new concept of a possible contribution of the retinal deep capillary plexus to photoreceptor compromise in diabetic retinopathy in the absence of diabetic macular edema.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To report outer retinal structural changes associated with enlargement of the foveal avascular zone and/or capillary nonperfusion in the macular area of diabetic patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective observational cross-sectional study in 9 patients who were diagnosed as having diabetic retinopathy without diabetic macular edema and underwent fluorescein angiography and SD-OCT for diabetic retinopathy from July 8, 2014, to December 1, 2014, at a tertiary academic referral center. This analysis was conducted between December 2, 2014, and January 31, 2015.
  
  
  METHODS
  Outer retinal changes on SD-OCT in areas of macular ischemia.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study included 13 eyes of 9 diabetic patients (4 men and 5 women aged 34-58 years) with a mean duration of diabetes mellitus of 14.5 years. Nine eyes showed outer retinal disruption revealed by SD-OCT that colocalized to areas of enlargement of the foveal avascular zone and macular capillary nonperfusion. Four fellow eyes with normal foveal avascular zones did not show any retinal changes on SD-OCT.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Macular ischemia in diabetic patients can be associated with photoreceptor compromise. The presence of disruption of the photoreceptors on OCT in diabetic patients can be a manifestation of underlying capillary nonperfusion in eyes without diabetic macular edema. Ischemia at the deep capillary plexus may play an important role in these outer retinal changes.
authors.affiliation: G. B. Bietti Eye Foundation-Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico, Rome, Italy2Department of Ophthalmology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois.
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Scarinci
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois.
authors.forename: Lee M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Jampol
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois3Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois4Department of Neurobiology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois.
authors.forename: Robert A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Linsenmeier
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois.
authors.forename: Amani A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Fawzi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002196:Capillaries; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D006801:Humans; D007511:Ischemia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020419:Photoreceptor Cells, Vertebrate / Q000473:pathology*; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000502:physiology; D012171:Retinal Vessels / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D014792:Visual Acuity