Optical coherence tomography angiography findings in transcorneal electrical stimulation in retinitis pigmentosa

• Published in: Acta ophthalmologica (Oxford, England) Vol. 99; no. S265
• Main Authors: Maria Zabek, Olga, Camenzind Zuche, Hanna, Müller, Ursula, Scholl, Hendrik P. N., Rickmann, Annekatrin, Della Volpe Waizel, Maria
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Malden Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.01.2021
• Subjects: Angiography; Electrical stimuli; Medical imaging; Microvasculature; Perfusion; Retina; Retinitis; Retinitis pigmentosa; Tomography
• ISSN: 1755-375X; 1755-3768
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1755-3768.2020.0163

Purpose Transcorneal electrical stimulation (TES) is a novel treatment approach for patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP). The aim of our study was to observe changes in optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) that would be attributed to TES treatment. Methods A total of 43 eyes of 22 subjects (11♀ 11♂) suffering from RP were examined at baseline (BL), after first stimulation (TS), 1 week after first stimulation (1W) and six months (6M) after treatment initiation. TES was performed simultaneously on both eyes for 30 minutes weekly. 9 × 15 mm OCTA scans were recorded with a PLEX Elite 9000 swept‐source OCTA device (Carl Zeiss Meditec AG, Jena). Vascular density metrics as perfusion density (PD) and vessel density (VD) were calculated automatically for the macular area by using standardized ETDRS grids. In addition, the capillary perfusion density (CPD) and the capillary flux index (CFI) of the peripapillary nerve fibre layer microvasculature in all four quadrants of an annulus centred at the optic disc were measured. All parameters were determined over all retinal layers and separately for the superficial (SCP) and deep capillary plexus (DCP). ANOVA‐based linear mixed‐effects models were calculated with SPSS®. Results Throughout the course of TES treatment, the macular VD and PD of all retinal layers in all subsections showed a slight decrement without reaching statistical significance (p > 0.05), also when analysed separately in the SCP (p > 0.06) and DCP (p > 0.11). In analogy, the average CPD and CFI also presented with a slight decrement (p > 0.19). When analysed in subsections, the temporal macular subsections showed significantly lower VD and PD values when compared to the other subsections of the ETDRS grid. Conclusions Our preliminary data with SS‐OCTA indicate that vascular density metrics in the macular region and the peripapillary microvasculature remain unaffected despite ongoing TES treatment.