RETINAL MICROVASCULATURE ALTERATION IN ACTIVE THYROID-ASSOCIATED OPHTHALMOPATHY

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Medical Imaging
• Vascular Biology

Background:

• Thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO) is an autoimmune condition affecting the eyes.
• Ocular hemodynamic changes and retinal vessel density in TAO are not well understood.
• Existing methods for assessing ocular hemodynamics have limitations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if TAO patients have increased retinal vessel density using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA).
• To investigate the association between retinal microvascular density and visual acuity in TAO patients.

Main Methods:

• Recruited 20 TAO patients and 20 healthy controls.
• Acquired 3D OCTA scans (6x6mm) of superficial (SRL) and deeper (DRL) retinal layers.
• Calculated microvascular (MIR) and macrovascular (MAR) densities, including total MIR (TMI), using partition methods.

Main Results:

• TAO patients exhibited increased superficial TMI (STMI) and superficial MIR (SMIR) density in the macula.
• Deeper MIR (DMIR) density increased in the macula of TAO patients.
• Increased SMIR and DMIR densities were observed in specific annular regions (C1-C2 for SMIR, C1 for DMIR).
• A significant negative correlation was found between STMI/SMIR density and visual acuity in TAO patients (r = -0.538, P = .032).

Conclusions:

• Active TAO patients demonstrate elevated retinal microvascular density.
• Increased macular STMI and SMIR density are associated with reduced visual acuity in TAO.