J Korean Ophthalmol Soc.  2016 Nov;57(11):1723-1730. 10.3341/jkos.2016.57.11.1723.

Foveal Microvascular Changes Based on Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography in Mild Nonproliferative Diabetic Retinopathy

• Ji B
• Kim HC

• KMID: 2357727
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3341/jkos.2016.57.11.1723

Abstract

PURPOSE
To investigate the microvascular change in diabetic patients with no diabetic retinopathy (DR) and mild nonproliferative DR (NPDR) using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA).
METHODS
We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 44 eyes of 22 patients with no DR and 34 eyes of 17 patients with mild NPDR. OCTA was performed on a 3 × 3 mm region centered in the fovea and parafoveal areas. The foveal avascular zone (FAZ) and foveal and parafoveal flow density (FD) in superficial and deep vascular plexuses were analyzed using OCTA.
RESULTS
The FAZ of deep capillary plexus in patients with mild NPDR was significantly larger than in patients with no DR (p = 0.008). The parafoveal deep FD, foveal and parafoveal thickness in patients with no DR was significantly larger than in patients with mild NPDR (p = 0.013, p = 0.018 and p = 0.003, respectively). Superficial FAZ, superficial foveal FD, superficial parafoveal FD and deep foveal FD were not significantly different between the patients with no DR and those with mild NPDR.
CONCLUSIONS
OCTA allows detection of deep FAZ enlargement, reduction in parafoveal deep FD as well as foveal and parafoveal thickness in patients with mild NPDR compared with patients with no DR.

Keyword

Diabetic retinopathy; Flow density; Foveal avascular zone; Microvascular changes; Optical coherence tomography angiography

MeSH Terms

Angiography*
Capillaries
Diabetic Retinopathy*
Humans
Medical Records
Retrospective Studies
Tomography, Optical Coherence*

Figure

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  Figure 1. Optical coherence tomography angiography images of no diabetic retinopathy. 3 × 3 mm optical coherence tomography angiogram in superficial capillary plexus (A, C, E) and in deep capillary plexus (B, D, F). (A, B) Fovea and parafovea area in superficial and deep capillary plexus (inner ring: diameter 1 mm, fovea area, outer ring: diameter 2.5 mm, parafovea area). (C, D) Automated foveal avascular zone measurement of superficial and deep capillary plexus. (E, F) Peudo-color map of flow density of superficial and deep capillary plexus.

• 

  Figure 2. Manual adjustment of the foveal avascular zone (FAZ) boundary. (A) optical coherence tomography angiogram of the macula in the deep capillary plexus. (B) FAZ boundary misidentification by automated program. (C) Manually corrected boundary of FAZ using built-in software.

Reference

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