Choroidal hyper-reflective foci and vascularity in retinal dystrophy

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Medical Imaging
• Retinal Diseases

Background:

• Retinal dystrophies, including Stargardt's disease (SGD) and retinitis pigmentosa (RP), are a group of inherited conditions affecting the retina.
• Choroidal hyper-reflective foci (HRF) are an imaging finding that may be associated with retinal diseases.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate choroidal hyper-reflective foci (HRF) in subjects with Stargardt's disease (SGD) and retinitis pigmentosa (RP).
• To assess the association of HRF with demographic factors, visual acuity, choroidal thickness (CT), and choroidal vascularity index (CVI).

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of swept-source optical coherence tomography (OCT) images from patients with diagnosed SGD or RP.
• Automated algorithm used to quantify HRF and CVI.
• Spearman's rank correlation coefficient used to analyze associations between HRF and clinical/OCT parameters.

Main Results:

• The study included 46 eyes (RP) and 55 eyes (SGD).
• Mean HRF count was significantly higher in the RP group (247.9 ± 57.1) compared to the SGD group (192.5 ± 44.3).
• In RP, HRF correlated with CVI (r = 0.49; P = 0.001); in SGD, HRF correlated with choroidal area (r = 0.27; P = 0.04).

Conclusions:

• Choroidal HRF are present in both RP and SGD, with a higher prevalence in RP.
• The presence of HRF is associated with alterations in choroidal vascularity, suggesting a role in the pathogenesis of these retinal dystrophies.