Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Relationship between vascular densities of choriocapillaris and the whole choroid using OCTA

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
International Ophthalmology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

To study the vascular density (VD) of choriocapillaris and the whole choroid using optical coherence tomography-angiography (OCTA).

Methods

Cross-sectional study enrolling healthy individuals between 18 and 35 years old and with an axial length (AL) lower than 26 mm, who were examined with swept-source OCTA Triton DRI (Topcon). Color pictures of both VD were obtained from a fovea-centered 6 × 6 mm macular exam, which were divided into 900 squares and codified into numbers.

Results

A total of 50 patients (100 eyes) with a mean age of 27.29 ± 3.90 years and a mean AL of 23.67 ± 0.74 mm were analyzed. The highest choroidal VD was found in juxtapapillary macula, being followed by the most temporal macula and fovea. The lowest was found in superior and inferior perifoveal areas. The highest VD in choriocapillaris was in the fovea. VD in this layer was uniform, with a decrease from temporal toward nasal. Both VD differed and but correlated, especially in the fovea and in inferior-temporal macula.

Conclusion

VD of choriocapillaris and the whole choroid are not similar. The former is maximal in the fovea, and the latter is maximal in the juxtapapillary macula. In general lines, choroidal VD is higher than that of choriocapillaris. Both VD are directly correlated.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

Availability of data and material

Data are available at the Miguel Servet University Hospital.

References

  1. Jia Y, Tan O, Tokayer J et al (2012) Split-spectrum amplitude-decorrelation angiography with optical coherence tomography. Opt Express 20:4710–4725

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Stanga PE, Tsamis E, Papayannis A et al (2016) Swept-source optical coherence tomography angioTM (Topcon Corp, Japan): technology review. In: Bandello F (ed) Developments in ophthalmology. Karger Publishers, Basel, pp 13–17

    Google Scholar 

  3. Nickla DL, Wallman J (2010) The multifunctional choroid. Prog Retin Eye Res 29:144–168. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.preteyeres.2009.12.002

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Kur J, Newman EA, Chan-Ling T (2012) Cellular and physiological mechanisms underlying blood flow regulation in the retina and choroid in health and disease. Prog Retin Eye Res 31:377–406. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.preteyeres.2012.04.004

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  5. Say EAT, Samara WA, Khoo CTL et al (2016) Parafoveal capillary density after plaque radiotherapy for choroidal melanoma: analysis of eyes without radiation maculopathy. Retina 36:1670–1678

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Sonoda S, Sakamoto T, Yamashita T et al (2015) Luminal and stromal areas of choroid determined by binarization method of optical coherence tomographic images. Am J Ophthalmol 159:1123–1131.e1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Ruiz-Medrano J, Ruiz-Moreno JM, Goud A et al (2018) Age-related changes in choroidal vascular density of healthy subjects based on image binarization of swept-source optical coherence tomography. Retina 38:508–515

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Sayanagi K, Ikuno Y, Uematsu S, Nishida K (2017) Features of the choriocapillaris in myopic maculopathy identified by optical coherence tomography angiography. Br J Ophthalmol 101:1524–1529. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjophthalmol-2016-309628

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Al-Sheikh M, Phasukkijwatana N, Dolz-Marco R et al (2017) Quantitative OCT angiography of the retinal microvasculature and the choriocapillaris in myopic eyes. Investig Opthalmology Vis Sci 58:2063. https://doi.org/10.1167/iovs.16-21289

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Borrelli E, Uji A, Sarraf D, Sadda SR (2017) Alterations in the choriocapillaris in intermediate age-related macular degeneration. Investig Opthalmology Vis Sci 58:4792. https://doi.org/10.1167/iovs.17-22360

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Chatziralli I, Theodossiadis G, Panagiotidis D et al (2018) Choriocapillaris’ alterations in the presence of reticular pseudodrusen compared to drusen: study based on OCTA findings. Int Ophthalmol 38:1887–1893. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10792-017-0671-7

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Agemy SA, Scripsema NK, Shah CM et al (2015) Retinal vascular perfusion density mapping using optical coherence tomography angiography in normals and diabetic retinopathy patients. Retina 35:2353–2363

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Shinojima A, Kawamura A, Mori R et al (2016) Findings of optical coherence tomographic angiography at the choriocapillaris level in central serous chorioretinopathy. Ophthalmologica 236:108–113. https://doi.org/10.1159/000448436

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Nassisi M, Lavia C, Alovisi C et al (2017) Short-term choriocapillaris changes in patients with central serous chorioretinopathy after half-dose photodynamic therapy. Int J Mol Sci 18:2468. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms18112468

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  15. Fujita K, Kawamura A, Yuzawa M (2017) Choriocapillaris changes imaged by OCT angiography after half-dose photodynamic therapy for chronic central serous chorioretinopathy. Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retin 48:302–310. https://doi.org/10.3928/23258160-20170329-04

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Cole ED, Novais EA, Louzada RN et al (2016) Visualization of changes in the choriocapillaris, choroidal vessels and retinal morphology after focal laser photocoagulation using OCT angiography. Investig Opthalmology Vis Sci 57:OCT356. https://doi.org/10.1167/iovs.15-18473

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Feucht N, Maier M, Lohmann CP, Reznicek L (2016) OCT angiography findings in acute central serous chorioretinopathy. Ophthalmic Surgery, Lasers Imaging Retin 47:322–327. https://doi.org/10.3928/23258160-20160324-03

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. de Carlo TE, Romano A, Waheed NK, Duker JS (2015) A review of optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). Int J Retin Vitr 1:5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Hwang TS, Zhang M, Bhavsar K et al (2016) Visualization of 3 distinct retinal plexuses by projection-resolved optical coherence tomography angiography in diabetic retinopathy. JAMA Ophthalmol 134:1411

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Chen FK, Viljoen RD, Bukowska DM (2016) Classification of image artefacts in optical coherence tomography angiography of the choroid in macular diseases. Clin Experiment Ophthalmol 44:388–399. https://doi.org/10.1111/ceo.12683

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Shiihara H, Sakamoto T, Yamashita T et al (2017) Reproducibility and differences in area of foveal avascular zone measured by three different optical coherence tomographic angiography instruments. Sci Rep 7:9853. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-09255-5

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  22. Munk MR, Giannakaki-Zimmermann H, Berger L et al (2017) OCT-angiography: a qualitative and quantitative comparison of 4 OCT-A devices. PLoS ONE 12:e0177059. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0177059

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  23. Al-Sheikh M, Falavarjani KG, Pfau M et al (2017) Quantitative features of the choriocapillaris in healthy individuals using swept-source optical coherence tomography angiography. Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina 48:623–631. https://doi.org/10.3928/23258160-20170802-04

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Conti FF, Qin VL, Rodrigues EB et al (2019) Choriocapillaris and retinal vascular plexus density of diabetic eyes using split-spectrum amplitude decorrelation spectral-domain optical coherence tomography angiography. Br J Ophthalmol 103:452–456. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjophthalmol-2018-311903

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Wang Q, Chan S, Yang JY et al (2016) Vascular density in retina and choriocapillaris as measured by optical coherence tomography angiography. Am J Ophthalmol 168:95–109. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajo.2016.05.005

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Oh J, Baik DJ, Ahn J (2020) Inter-relationship between retinal and choroidal vasculatures using optical coherence tomography angiography in normal eyes. Eur J Ophthalmol 1:48–57

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Sohn EH, Khanna A, Tucker BA et al (2014) Structural and biochemical analyses of choroidal thickness in human donor eyes. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 55:1352–1360. https://doi.org/10.1167/iovs.13-13754

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  28. Macgregor AM, Eberhart CG, Fraig M et al (2009) Tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase-3 levels in the extracellular matrix of lung, kidney, and eye increase with age. J Histochem Cytochem 57:207–213. https://doi.org/10.1369/jhc.2008.952531

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  29. Fariss RN, Apte SS, Luthert PJ et al (1998) Accumulation of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-3 in human eyes with Sorsby’s fundus dystrophy or retinitis pigmentosa. Br J Ophthalmol 82:1329–1334

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Janssen A, Hoellenriegel J, Fogarasi M et al (2008) Abnormal vessel formation in the choroid of mice lacking tissue inhibitor of metalloprotease-3. Investig Opthalmology Vis Sci 49:2812. https://doi.org/10.1167/iovs.07-1444

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

No funding was received.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Francisco de Asís Bartol-Puyal.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethics approval

Ethics approval by the Comité de Ética de la Investigación de la Comunidad Autónoma de Aragón.

Consent to participate

All patients agreed to participate.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Bartol-Puyal, F., Isanta, C., Calvo, P. et al. Relationship between vascular densities of choriocapillaris and the whole choroid using OCTA. Int Ophthalmol 40, 3135–3143 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10792-020-01500-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10792-020-01500-7

Keywords

Navigation