Choroidal structures in polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy, neovascular age-related maculopathy, and healthy eyes determined by binarization of swept source optical coherence tomographic images.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate quantitatively the choroidal vascularity in polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) and neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) patients compared to healthy controls.


METHODS
All eyes underwent swept source optical coherence tomography (OCT), and choroidal images were binarized into blood vessels lumen and stroma. The choroidal vascular index (CVI) was defined as the ratio of luminal area (LA) over total choroidal area of the subfoveal region with a width of 1500 μm.


RESULTS
The study included 73 patients with neovascular AMD or PCV with mean ± standard deviation (SD) age of 71.8 ± 9.3 years, which was older than the mean age of 65.1 ± 10.8 years of 72 healthy eyes from control group (p < 0.01). The 44 PCV eyes had significantly higher mean SFCT of 214.23 ± 95.21 μm than neovascular AMD eyes (172.74 ± 96.48 μm, p = 0.03) and greater luminal area (0.23 ± 0.09 mm2vs. 0.19 ± 0.08 mm2, p = 0.05). After adjusting for age, axial length, and gender in multivariate regression analysis, the SFCT of PCV and neovascular AMD eyes were not significantly different from healthy eyes (195.55 ± 93.11 μm), but the CVI of both PCV (64.94 ± 5.43%, p = 0.01) and neovascular AMD (62.54 ± 5.57%, p = <0.01) were significantly lower than control (68.53 ± 5.91%).


CONCLUSIONS
Despite physiological changes of choroidal vasculature due to aging, the choroidal morphology is different in PCV, neovascular AMD and healthy eyes, which has implication on disease pathogenesis.
Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 4/F Hong Kong Eye Hospital, 147K Argyle Street, Mongkok, Hong Kong, SAR, China.
Malini
M
Bakthavatsalam
Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 4/F Hong Kong Eye Hospital, 147K Argyle Street, Mongkok, Hong Kong, SAR, China. dannyng@cuhk.edu.hk.
Danny Siu-Chun
DS
Ng
Department of Ophthalmology, Caritas Medical Centre, New Kowloon, Hong Kong.
Frank Hiu-Ping
FH
Lai
Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 4/F Hong Kong Eye Hospital, 147K Argyle Street, Mongkok, Hong Kong, SAR, China.
Fang Yao
FY
Tang
Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 4/F Hong Kong Eye Hospital, 147K Argyle Street, Mongkok, Hong Kong, SAR, China.|Department of Ophthalmology, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, Hong Kong.
Mårten Erik
ME
Brelén
Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 4/F Hong Kong Eye Hospital, 147K Argyle Street, Mongkok, Hong Kong, SAR, China.
Chi Wai
CW
Tsang
Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 4/F Hong Kong Eye Hospital, 147K Argyle Street, Mongkok, Hong Kong, SAR, China.
Timothy Yuk-Yau
TY
Lai
Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 4/F Hong Kong Eye Hospital, 147K Argyle Street, Mongkok, Hong Kong, SAR, China.
Carol Yim-Lui
CY
Cheung
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002829:Choroid / Q000098:blood supply; D020256:Choroidal Neovascularization / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005654:Fundus Oculi; D006801:Humans; D008266:Macula Lutea / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011127:Polyps / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012171:Retinal Vessels / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence / Q000379:methods*; D014792:Visual Acuity; D057135:Wet Macular Degeneration / Q000175:diagnosis*
Age-related macular degeneration; Choroidal imaging; Optical coherence tomography; Polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy