Evaluation of the Choroid in Women with Uncomplicated Pregnancy

To study the choroid in uncomplicated pregnant women using advanced optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging and analysis.

Women with uncomplicated pregnancy in the third trimester (>28 weeks gestational age) and age-matched nonpregnant women were enrolled in this prospective study. All subjects underwent spectral-domain OCT with enhanced depth imaging mode and spectral-domain optical coherent tomography angiography (OCTA). Main outcomes were subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT), choroidal vascularity index (CVI), and choriocapillaris flow deficits (CC FD).

Twenty-two eyes of 12 uncomplicated pregnant women and 23 eyes of 15 nonpregnant, female controls were included. The mean age was 32.27 ± 6.96 years for the pregnant group and 30.08 ± 5.49 years for control group (P > 0.05). Mean SFCT was 238.70 ± 82.96 µm in the pregnant group, and 277.40 ± 61.79 µm in the control group. CVI was 67.58% ± 2.45% in the pregnant group and 67.31% ± 2.62% in the control group. The CC FD% was 54.06 ± 3.95 in the pregnant group, and 55.02 ± 3.78 in the control group. There was no significant difference between the pregnant and control groups (P > 0.05) in SFCT, CVI or CC FD.

Although extensive hemodynamic changes occurred with pregnancy, choroidal measurements by OCT and OCTA demonstrated no differences in uncomplicated third-trimester pregnant women compared with nonpregnant controls.

The unaltered choroid in uncomplicated third-trimester pregnancy we described allows clinicians to determine whether abnormal choroidal measurements could be used as a biomarker for complications of pregnancy.