Systematic Evaluation of Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography in Retinal Vein Occlusion

To evaluate the clinical utility of optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) in patients with retinal vein occlusion (RVO), and to systematically compare OCTA images with changes seen on color fundus photography and fluorescein angiography (FA).

Reliability analysis.

Eighty-one eyes of 76 patients with a history of RVO (branch, central, or hemicentral), both acute and chronic, underwent OCTA and color fundus photography. In 29 eyes, data were compared to FA imaging. Comparative and multimodal analysis of the 3 imaging procedures were performed.

We identified good agreement between FA and OCTA scans centered on the macula for capillary nonperfusion (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] 0.825 for the 3 × 3-mm scan and 0.891 for the 8 × 8-mm scan). Agreement for area of capillary changes (dilation, pruning, and telangiectasia) was also substantial (ICC 0.712 for the 3 × 3-mm scan and 0.787 for the 8 × 8-mm scan). For foveal avascular zone grading, agreement was good for the 3 × 3-mm scan (kappa = 1.000 for radius and kappa = 0.799 for outline) but poor for the 8 × 8-mm scan (kappa = 0.156 for radius and kappa = 0.600 for outline). The quality of the images obtained was an important issue for OCTA, as 15.1% of scans were nongradable, particularly in patients unable to maintain fixation.

OCTA is a quick, reliable, and noninvasive method to evaluate the area of capillary nonperfusion and foveal avascular zone morphology in patients with RVO. However, good fixation is a requirement for acquisition of good-quality images.