TY - JOUR
T1 - Age-Related Alterations of the Macular Choroid in Healthy Eyes Assessed by Swept-Source Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography
AU - Verma, Aditya
AU - Magesan, Kowsigan
AU - Mahalingam, Maanasi
AU - T, Amose
AU - Sadda, SriniVas R
AU - Corradetti, Giulia
AU - Alagorie, Ahmed Roshdy
AU - Gnanaraj, Ramya
AU - Sen, Parveen
PY - 2023/9
Y1 - 2023/9
N2 - OBJECTIVE: To analyze age-related changes in the choroid in healthy eyes using swept-source optical coherence tomography angiography (SS-OCTA).PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a cross-sectional, prospective, observational study enrolling 222 eyes of 116 healthy participants. SS-OCTA images were captured using the PLEX Elite 9000 (Carl Zeiss Meditec) with a 6 x 6 mm pattern centered on the fovea. Subfoveal choroidal thickness (CT) and choroidal volume (CV) were generated automatically through manufacturer tools available in the Advanced Retinal Imaging (ARI) hub network. Choroidal vascularity index (CVI) and choriocapillaris flow deficits (CCFD) were computed using ImageJ.RESULTS: CV was found to be significantly higher in women than men. Overall, there was a significant positive correlation between CVI and CCFD, and a significant negative correlation between CT and CV with age. The relationship, however, was more complex, as a decade-wise analysis showed that CT and CV increased until the second decade, followed by a decrease until the sixth decade, and then an increase again in the seventh and eighth decades. CVI was highest in the seventh decade. In contrast, CCFD increased consistently with age and in all the Early Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) rings.CONCLUSION: The choroidal blood flow and its thickness reduces as the age advances. While the choroidal flow deficits show a consistent increase with age and the distance from the foveal center, the relationship of other parameters with age is more complex. Having a normative database from healthy subjects is imperative for understanding the changes taking place in diseased states. Choroidal parameters can show significant variations with age. These differences are not uniform or consistent with age, highlighting the importance of a normative reference database to assess the significance of choroidal alterations associated with disease. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina 2023;54:526-534.].
AB - OBJECTIVE: To analyze age-related changes in the choroid in healthy eyes using swept-source optical coherence tomography angiography (SS-OCTA).PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a cross-sectional, prospective, observational study enrolling 222 eyes of 116 healthy participants. SS-OCTA images were captured using the PLEX Elite 9000 (Carl Zeiss Meditec) with a 6 x 6 mm pattern centered on the fovea. Subfoveal choroidal thickness (CT) and choroidal volume (CV) were generated automatically through manufacturer tools available in the Advanced Retinal Imaging (ARI) hub network. Choroidal vascularity index (CVI) and choriocapillaris flow deficits (CCFD) were computed using ImageJ.RESULTS: CV was found to be significantly higher in women than men. Overall, there was a significant positive correlation between CVI and CCFD, and a significant negative correlation between CT and CV with age. The relationship, however, was more complex, as a decade-wise analysis showed that CT and CV increased until the second decade, followed by a decrease until the sixth decade, and then an increase again in the seventh and eighth decades. CVI was highest in the seventh decade. In contrast, CCFD increased consistently with age and in all the Early Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) rings.CONCLUSION: The choroidal blood flow and its thickness reduces as the age advances. While the choroidal flow deficits show a consistent increase with age and the distance from the foveal center, the relationship of other parameters with age is more complex. Having a normative database from healthy subjects is imperative for understanding the changes taking place in diseased states. Choroidal parameters can show significant variations with age. These differences are not uniform or consistent with age, highlighting the importance of a normative reference database to assess the significance of choroidal alterations associated with disease. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina 2023;54:526-534.].
KW - Male
KW - Female
KW - Humans
KW - Tomography, Optical Coherence
KW - Cross-Sectional Studies
KW - Prospective Studies
KW - Choroid
KW - Angiography
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85171393099
U2 - 10.3928/23258160-20230728-01
DO - 10.3928/23258160-20230728-01
M3 - Conference article
C2 - 37642439
SN - 2325-8160
VL - 54
SP - 526
EP - 534
JO - Ophthalmic Surgery, Lasers and Imaging Retina
JF - Ophthalmic Surgery, Lasers and Imaging Retina
IS - 9
T2 - Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology
Y2 - 1 May 2022 through 4 May 2022
ER -