Retinal microcirculation abnormalities in patients with systemic sclerosis: an explorative optical coherence...

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Rheumatology
• Vascular Biology

Background:

• Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a complex autoimmune disease characterized by microvascular damage.
• Ocular microvascular complications in SSc are not well understood.
• Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A) offers high-resolution imaging of retinal and choroidal vasculature.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate subclinical and clinical abnormalities in the retinal and choroidal vascular plexuses of SSc patients using OCT-A.
• To assess the diagnostic potential of OCT-A in detecting early ocular vascular changes in SSc.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 20 SSc patients was compared with 20 healthy controls.
• Quantitative analysis of vessel density (VD), choriocapillaris plexus flow index (CCP-FI), and choroidal vascularity index was performed on OCT-A images.
• Qualitative assessment for abnormalities such as tortuosity and rarefaction was conducted by two independent readers.

Main Results:

• SSc patients exhibited significantly lower deep capillary plexus vessel density (DCP-VD) and higher choriocapillaris plexus flow index (CCP-FI).
• Reduced superficial capillary plexus vessel density (SCP-VD) was observed in SSc patients with digital ulcers.
• Ninety-five percent of SSc patients showed at least one qualitative abnormality on OCT-A imaging.

Conclusions:

• OCT-A is capable of detecting early ocular vascular abnormalities in patients with SSc.
• These findings suggest OCT-A may play a role in the diagnosis, monitoring, and prognosis of SSc.