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Variation of vortex veins at the horizontal watershed in normal eyes

  • Retinal Disorders
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose

To assess the vascular pattern of choroidal vortex veins at the horizontal watershed zone in normal eyes using optical coherence tomography (OCT).

Methods

We retrospectively studied 207 normal eyes of 207 patients whose fellow eyes were diagnosed with unilateral retinal diseases without choroidal involvement. Venous anastomosis between the superior and inferior vortex veins and deviation of the horizontal watershed zone were evaluated using 12 × 12-mm en face OCT images. Central choroidal thickness (CCT) was measured on B-mode OCT images.

Results

Vortex vein anastomosis was observed in 92 eyes (44.4%) at the horizontal watershed zone. Superior or inferior deviation of the horizontal watershed was ascertained in 69 eyes (33.3%). The frequency of the anastomosis and deviation did not differ significantly between age groups (P = 0.56 and 0.96, respectively). Mean CCT of all eyes was 221 ± 80 μm. CCT was significantly greater in eyes with anastomosis than in those without (233 ± 73 μm vs 210 ± 83 μm, P < 0.05). However, CCT did not differ significantly between eyes with and without deviation of the horizontal watershed zone (223 ± 74 μm vs 219 ± 82 μm).

Conclusions

Venous anastomosis at the horizontal watershed zone as well as superior or inferior deviation of the zone were frequently observed in normal eyes. CCT was greater in eyes with than in those without anastomosis, suggesting subclinical vortex vein congestion.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ophthalmology, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, 3-39-15 Showa-machi, Gunma, 371-8511, Maebashi, Japan

    Junki Hoshino, Hidetaka Matsumoto, Ryo Mukai, Kosuke Nakamura, Yosuke Arai, Yuka Kikuchi, Shoji Kishi & Hideo Akiyama

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  1. Junki Hoshino
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  2. Hidetaka Matsumoto
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  3. Ryo Mukai
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  4. Kosuke Nakamura
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  5. Yosuke Arai
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  6. Yuka Kikuchi
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  7. Shoji Kishi
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  8. Hideo Akiyama
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Contributions

The authors were involved in the following aspects of the study: design and conduct (J.H., H.M., S.K.), collection of the data (J.H., K.N., Y.A., Y.K.), management (H.M.), analysis (J.H., H.M.), interpretation (J.H., H.M.), preparation of article (J.H., H.M.), and review and approval of the manuscript (R.M., S.K., H.A.).

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hidetaka Matsumoto.

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Ethics approval and consent to participate

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. This study was performed with approval from the institutional review board of Gunma University School of Medicine. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Hoshino, J., Matsumoto, H., Mukai, R. et al. Variation of vortex veins at the horizontal watershed in normal eyes. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 259, 2175–2180 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-021-05130-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-021-05130-2

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