title: Characteristics of Retinal Neovascularization in Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy Imaged by Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography.
abstract: To characterize the morphology of neovascularization at the disc (NVD) and neovascularization elsewhere (NVE) in treatment-naïve or previously treated proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) patients using optical coherence tomography (OCT) angiography.
  
  
  
  En face OCT angiograms of NVD/NVE in 40 eyes of 33 patients with PDR were acquired using RTVue XR Avanti OCT. The morphology of NVD/NVE on OCT angiograms was evaluated, and the activity was determined by biomicroscopy and fluorescein angiography (FA). In 12 eyes that were treated or treatment-naïve, changes in the morphology and vessel area of NVD/NVE before and after panretinal photocoagulation (PRP) were investigated.
  
  
  
  Twenty eyes had treatment-naïve PDR, whereas 20 eyes were previously treated with PRP. All treatment-naïve NVD/NVE had remarkable (i.e., active) leakage in early-phase FA. Ninety-five percent of treatment-naïve NVD/NVE observed by OCT angiography had exuberant vascular proliferation (EVP), identified as irregular proliferation of fine (smaller-caliber) new vessels; whereas, the presence of EVP in previously treated eyes (13/20) was significantly less than in treatment-naïve eyes (65% vs. 95%, P = 0.043). The remaining seven treated eyes had pruned NVD/NVE without EVP, observed as fibrotic changes or faint (inactive) leakage in FA. The vessel areas of NVD/NVE significantly decreased following PRP (n = 12, P = 0.019), and NVD/NVE morphology showed pruning and decreased EVP.
  
  
  
  Exuberant vascular proliferation on OCT angiograms should be considered as an active sign of neovascularization; therefore, morphologic evaluation of neovascularization using OCT angiography may be useful to estimate the activity of each neovascularization in eyes with PDR.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Akihiro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ishibazawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Taiji
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nagaoka
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Harumasa
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yokota
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Tsuneaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Omae
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Young-Seok
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Department of Mathematical Information Science, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Tatsuhisa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Akitoshi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yoshida
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005654:Fundus Oculi; D006801:Humans; D017075:Laser Coagulation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011184:Postoperative Period; D057234:Preoperative Period; D015861:Retinal Neovascularization / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D012171:Retinal Vessels / Q000473:pathology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence / Q000379:methods*