title: Evaluating Choroidal Characteristics in Systemic Sclerosis Using Enhanced Depth Imaging Optical Coherence Tomography.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate choroidal thickness (CT) and investigate the involvement of choroidal circulation in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc).
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 120 eyes of 60 SSc patients and 60 eyes of 30 healthy controls were evaluated. CT measurements were performed at the subfoveal region, 1000 µm nasal and 1000 µm temporal to the fovea, using enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography. CT measurements were compared between the patients and controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The average subfoveal, parafoveal nasal and parafoveal temporal CT were significantly thinner in SSc patients when compared with healthy controls (297.77 ± 60.8 µm vs 339.8 ± 50.4 µm; 267.32 ± 51.1 µm vs 308.65 ± 49.9 µm; 270.63 ± 46.3 µm vs 309.22 ± 42.4 µm, respectively; p<0.001 for all).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Reduced CT in SSc patients supports the hypothesis of widespread vascular injury, including the ocular microcirculation.
authors.affiliation: a School of Medicine, Department of Ophthalmology , Cukurova University , Adana , Turkey.
authors.forename: Ebru
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Esen
authors.affiliation: b School of Medicine, Department of Rheumatology-Immunology , Cukurova University , Adana , Turkey.
authors.forename: Didem Arslan
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Tas
authors.affiliation: a School of Medicine, Department of Ophthalmology , Cukurova University , Adana , Turkey.
authors.forename: Selcuk
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sizmaz
authors.affiliation: b School of Medicine, Department of Rheumatology-Immunology , Cukurova University , Adana , Turkey.
authors.forename: Ipek
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Turk
authors.affiliation: c School of Medicine, Department of Biostatistics , Cukurova University , Adana , Turkey.
authors.forename: Ilker
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Unal
authors.affiliation: a School of Medicine, Department of Ophthalmology , Cukurova University , Adana , Turkey.
authors.forename: Nihal
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Demircan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002829:Choroid / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000473:pathology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008833:Microcirculation; D008875:Middle Aged; D009929:Organ Size; D012595:Scleroderma, Systemic / Q000503:physiopathology*; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence
keywords: Central macular thickness; choroidal thickness; optical coherence tomography; systemic sclerosis; vasculopathy