title: CHOROIDAL THICKNESS IN PATIENTS WITH STARGARDT DISEASE.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the relationship between choroidal thicknesses (CT), central foveal thicknesses, multifocal electroretinography (mf-ERG) responses, and best-corrected visual acuity levels in patients with Stargardt disease (STGD).
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 30 eyes of 30 patients with STGD, and 30 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were included in the study. All participants underwent detailed ophthalmic examination including best-corrected visual acuity and spectral domain optical coherence tomography measurements, and also patients with STGD were performed mf-ERG.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean subfoveal CT values were 271.95 ± 85.57 μm in patients with STGD and 355.73 ± 87.41 μm in the control group (P < 0.001). The mean central foveal thickness values were 223.56 ± 61.38 μm in patients with STGD and 272.46 ± 27.52 μm in the control group (P < 0.001). The mean central and paracentral mf-ERG responses (45.71 ± 26.60 and 16.47 ± 10.75 Nv/deg respectively) in patients with STGD were significantly lower from the normal ranges (66.6-130.8 Nv/deg and 30.9-77.7 Nv/deg, respectively; P < 0.001 for both). There was a statistically significant correlation between subfoveal CT and best-corrected visual acuity levels (P = 0.012, r = -0.452), and between parafoveal CT and inner retinal thickness and paracentral mf-ERG responses (P = 0.043, r = +0.372 and P = 0.049, r = +0.363, respectively). Paracentral mf-ERG responses were also correlated with outer retinal thickness values (P = 0.005, r = +0.503).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with STGD have a thinner CT, which may be responsible for some of the clinical findings. The pathophysiological significance of these findings needs further study.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Mardin State Hospital, Mardin, Turkey.
authors.forename: Esra
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vural
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ugur
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Acar
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Gülhane Military Medical School, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mehmet K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Sevinc
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Gülhane Military Medical School, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mesut
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Erdurmus
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Bekir
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kucuk
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Gülhane Military Medical School, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Seckin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aykas
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Gungor
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sobaci
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002829:Choroid / Q000473:pathology*; D004596:Electroretinography; D005260:Female; D005584:Fovea Centralis / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000151:congenital* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000080362:Stargardt Disease; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence / Q000379:methods; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult