J Korean Ophthalmol Soc.  1996 Jan;37(1):109-114.

The Pattern and Location of the Choroidal Watershed Zone

• Kim TW
• Lee BR
• Ko MK

Abstract

We have retrospectively studied the choroidal watershed zone of 217 eyes(217 patients) who visited ophthalmology department of Hanyang University Hospital. They all underwent fundus fluorescein angiography from 1988 to 1994. Choroidal watershed zones appeared in choridal or early arterial phase in fundus fluorescein angiography, and we classified them as five groups according to the location and pattern. In group 1, the watershed zone passed vertically through the entire disc and peripapillary choroid(58.9%); in group 2, the watershed zone passed vertically through temporal peripapillary choroid and temporal portion of the disc(19.4%); in group 3, the watershed zone passed vertically through nasal peripapillary choroid and nasal portion of the disc(15.7%); in group 4, the watershed zone passed through one or other section of disc(3.7%); in group 5, there was an island pattern on macular area alone(2.3%). Of these groups, there were island pattern on macular area with the pattern of each group, in the group 1; 43%, in the group 2; 52.3%, in the group 3; 20.5%, respectively. In conclusion, more than half of the cases showed the patterns of vertically elongated wide bands of watershed zone on entire or partial portion of disc and peripapillary choroid, and the remainders showed the similar patterns with an island on macular area.

Keyword

Choroid; Macular; Optic disc; Watershed zone

MeSH Terms

Choroid*
Fluorescein Angiography
Ophthalmology
Retrospective Studies