Longitudinal Changes on Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography in Retinal Vein Occlusion

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Retinal Imaging
• Vascular Diseases

Background:

• Retinal vein occlusion (RVO) is a significant cause of vision loss.
• Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) is a key imaging modality for evaluating retinal vasculature.
• Longitudinal assessment of OCTA in RVO is crucial for understanding disease progression and treatment effects.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate longitudinal changes in OCTA parameters in patients with RVO.
• To assess the impact of anti-vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGF) treatment on retinal vasculature in RVO.
• To investigate potential correlations between OCTA findings and disease duration or visual acuity.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of RVO patients treated with intravitreal anti-VEGF therapy.
• Calculation of foveal avascular zone (FAZ) area, vessel density (VD), vessel length density (VLD), and adjusted flow index (AFI) using OCTA.
• Comparison of RVO eyes with unaffected fellow eyes as controls.

Main Results:

• Over a 10.4-month follow-up, OCTA parameters (VD, VLD, AFI) remained stable in RVO eyes despite anti-VEGF treatment.
• FAZ area significantly increased in RVO eyes over time (p=0.04).
• Lower VD and VLD were observed in RVO eyes compared to controls, with a significant difference at the last visit (p<0.001).
• AFI correlated with disease duration (r=0.63, p=0.02), and visual acuity was inversely related to VD and VLD.

Conclusions:

• OCTA parameters demonstrate stability with sustained anti-VEGF treatment in RVO.
• Progressive increase in FAZ area suggests ongoing capillary remodeling in RVO eyes.
• OCTA provides valuable insights into the structural and functional changes in the retinal vasculature of RVO patients.