Choroidal Patterns in Retinitis Pigmentosa: Correlation with Visual Acuity and Disease Progression

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Retinal Imaging
• Choroidal Morphology

Background:

• Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a group of inherited retinal diseases.
• Choroidal structure alterations are observed in RP but require detailed characterization.
• Understanding these changes is crucial for predicting disease progression.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify distinct choroidal patterns in retinitis pigmentosa (RP) patients.
• To evaluate the clinical and anatomical significance of these patterns.
• To assess disease progression over a 1-year follow-up period.

Main Methods:

• Recruited 45 RP patients and 45 healthy controls.
• Utilized optical coherence tomography (OCT) and OCT angiography (OCTA).
• Classified choroidal patterns: normal (1), reduced layers (2), and caverns (3).
• Measured visual acuity, macular thickness, choroidal thickness, and OCTA parameters.

Main Results:

• RP patients showed significant differences in visual acuity, thickness, and OCTA parameters compared to controls.
• Choroidal patterns 1, 2, and 3 were found in 44%, 33%, and 23% of RP patients, respectively.
• Pattern 3 subgroup exhibited significant worsening in visual acuity, central macular thickness, and OCTA parameters after 1 year.

Conclusions:

• Distinct choroidal patterns are associated with varying clinical forms of RP.
• Choroidal morphology correlates with disease progression over time.
• Evaluation of choroidal patterns offers valuable prognostic information for RP patients.