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Optical coherence tomography angiography vessel density mapping at various retinal layers in healthy and normal tension glaucoma eyes

  • Glaucoma
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose

To investigate peripapillary vessel density at various spatial locations and layers in healthy and normal tension glaucoma eyes using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA).

Methods

A commercial OCTA device (AngioPlex; Carl Zeiss Meditec) was used to image microvasculature in a 6 × 6-mm optic disc region. Vessel densities of superficial and deep retinal layers were calculated using an automatic thresholding algorithm. Vessel density maps were plotted by averaging individual angiogram images. The spatial characteristics of vessel densities were analyzed at clock-hour sectors and in five 0.7-mm-thick concentric circles from a diameter of 2.0 to 5.5 mm. Areas under the receiver operating characteristics curves (AUCs) assessed the glaucoma diagnostic ability.

Results

Vessel density maps of superficial and deep retinal layers were significantly reduced at the 7 and 11 o’clock positions in glaucomatous eyes. In superficial layer, vessel density significantly decreased as the distance from the optic disc margin increased, except in the innermost circle (2.0–2.7-mm). There were significant differences in AUCs of superficial vessel density between innermost circle and the other outer circles. In the deep layer, the innermost circle showed significantly higher vessel density than the outer circles. Vessel density at 7 o’clock showed the best diagnostic performance (AUCs, 0.898 and 0.789) both in the superficial and deep layers. The innermost circle showed eccentric feature compared to the outer circles in terms of spatial characteristics and diagnostic ability.

Conclusions

Understanding of the spatial characteristics of peripapillary vasculature may be helpful in clinical practice and determining the optimal measurement area of vessel density.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ophthalmology, College of Medicine,University of Ulsan, Asan Medical Center, 388-1 Pungnap-2-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul, 138-736, South Korea

    Joong Won Shin, Kyung Rim Sung, Ji Yun Lee & Junki Kwon

  2. Department of Ophthalmology, Hanyang University Guri Hospital, College of Medicine, Hanyang University, Guri, South Korea

    Mincheol Seong

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  1. Joong Won Shin
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  2. Kyung Rim Sung
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Correspondence to Kyung Rim Sung.

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All authors certify that they have no affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial interest (such as honoraria; educational grants; participation in speakers’ bureaus; membership, employment, consultancies, stock ownership, or other equity interest; and expert testimony or patent-licensing arrangements), or non-financial interest (such as personal or professional relationships, affiliations, knowledge or beliefs) in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Shin, J.W., Sung, K.R., Lee, J.Y. et al. Optical coherence tomography angiography vessel density mapping at various retinal layers in healthy and normal tension glaucoma eyes. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 255, 1193–1202 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-017-3671-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-017-3671-4

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