Morphological differences between optic disc collaterals and neovascularization on optical coherence tomography...

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Medical Imaging
• Retinal Diseases

Background:

• Optic disc venous collaterals (OVCs) and neovascularization of the optic disc (NVD) are pathological vascular changes.
• These alterations are often secondary to ischemic retinal diseases.
• Accurate morphological assessment is crucial for diagnosis and management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the morphological characteristics of OVCs and NVD using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA).
• To compare the visualization capabilities of OCTA with conventional imaging modalities for these conditions.

Main Methods:

• Prospective enrollment of patients with OVCs and NVD secondary to ischemic retinal diseases.
• Utilized multimodal imaging including color fundus photography, fluorescein angiography (FA), and OCTA.
• Performed morphological evaluation using en-face structural OCT, cross-sectional OCTA, and en-face OCTA.

Main Results:

• Included twenty eyes from twenty patients (10 OVCs, 10 NVD).
• OCTA revealed OVCs as distinct, loopy vessels and NVDs as fine, raised meshwork in the vitreous slab.
• OCTA flow signals correlated well with FA hyperfluorescence.

Conclusions:

• OCTA provides enhanced visualization of OVCs and NVD in ischemic retinal diseases.
• OCTA surpasses conventional FA in depicting these specific optic disc vascular abnormalities.
• This improved visualization aids in the diagnosis and understanding of conditions like diabetic retinopathy and retinal vein occlusions.