Quantitative assessment of choriocapillaris flow deficits in diabetic retinopathy: A swept-source optical coherence tomography angiography study

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 15; no. 12; p. e0243830
• Main Authors: Dai, Yining, Zhou, Hao, Zhang, Qinqin, Chu, Zhongdi, Olmos de Koo, Lisa C., Chao, Jennifer R., Rezaei, Kasra A., Saraf, Steven S., Wang, Ruikang K.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 11.12.2020; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Algorithms; Analysis; Angiography; Bioengineering; Biology and Life Sciences; Blood flow; Capillaries; Choroid - blood supply; Choroid - diagnostic imaging; Diabetes; Diabetes mellitus; Diabetic retinopathy; Diabetic Retinopathy - diagnostic imaging; Diagnosis; Disease; Engineering and Technology; Eye; Fovea; Humans; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; In vivo methods and tests; Mechanical properties; Medical imaging; Medicine and Health Sciences; Methods; Middle Aged; Optical Coherence Tomography; Optical tomography; Perfusion; Retina; Retinopathy; Social Sciences; Statistical analysis; Tomography; Tomography, Optical Coherence; United States; United States > US
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0243830

To quantitatively assess choriocapillaris (CC) flow deficits in eyes with diabetic retinopathy (DR) using swept-source optical coherence tomography angiography (SS-OCTA). Diabetic subjects with different stages of DR and age-matched healthy subjects were recruited and imaged with SS-OCTA. The en face CC blood flow images were generated using previously published and validated algorithms. The percentage of CC flow deficits (FD%) and the mean CC flow deficit size were calculated in a 5-mm-diameter circle centered on the fovea from the 6×6-mm scans. Forty-five diabetic subjects and 27 control subjects were included in the study. The CC FD% in diabetic eyes was on average 1.4-fold greater than in control eyes (12.34±4.14% vs 8.82±2.61%, P < 0.001). The mean CC FD size in diabetic eyes was on average 1.4-fold larger than in control eyes (2151.3± 650.8μm2 vs 1574.4±255.0 μm2, P < 0.001). No significant difference in CC FD% or mean CC FD size was observed between eyes with nonproliferative DR and eyes with proliferative DR (P = 1.000 and P = 1.000, respectively). CC perfusion in DR can be objectively and quantitatively assessed with FD% and FD size. In the macular region, both CC FD% and CC FD size are increased in eyes with DR. SS-OCTA provides new insights for the investigations of CC perfusion status in diabetes in vivo.