Fractal analysis of polypoidal choroidal neovascularisation in age-related macular degeneration

To describe optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) features of polypoidal choroidal neovascularisation (PCNV) secondary to age-related macular degeneration.

A retrospective consecutive series of 51 patients with a diagnosis of PCNV, based on clinical and multimodal imaging, was analysed. All patients with PCNV underwent a comprehensive ophthalmological examination, including fluorescein and indocyanine green angiography, structural optical coherence tomography (OCT) and OCTA. Two blinded retinal specialists carefully reviewed OCTA slabs in order to assess the morphological patterns of PCNV lesions. Furthermore, fractal analysis of PCNV en face images on OCTA, including vascular perfusion density (VPD), fractal dimension (FD) and lacunarity (LAC), was performed.

Fifty-one PCNV eyes were included in the study. In all, the branching vascular network appeared hyper-reflective. Polyps showed two different patterns: in 34/51 (67%) eyes, they corresponded to hypo-reflective structures, whereas in the remaining 17 (33%) eyes, they appeared as hyper-reflective lesions. In all PCNV eyes, mean VPD, FD and LAC were 0.76±0.17%, 1.46±0.12 and 2.4±0.87, respectively. No significant difference was found between PCNVs showing a different OCTA pattern, in terms of quantitative OCTA parameters.

Fractal analysis provides quantitative parameters demonstrating that PCNVs with different OCTA patterns share the same neovascular architecture and branching complexity. These new findings improve our ability to interpret OCTA slabs, opening new areas of discussion about this type of neovascular lesion.