Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 3, 2025
Quantification of Diabetes-induced Adherent Leukocytes in Retinal Vasculature
Published on: January 24, 2025
Association of the Pattern of Retinal Capillary Non-Perfusion and Vascular Leakage with Retinal Neovascularization in
Eric E Jung1, Michelle Lin1, Christine Ryu1
1Department of Ophthalmology, USC Roski Eye Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Purpose:
To explore the correlation between retinal capillary non-perfusion and the distribution of retinal neovascularization and vascular leakage (VL) in patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR).
Methods:
Ultra-widefield angiograms of 96 eyes of 69 patients with PDR were reviewed for the proportion of non-perfused area to total gradable area, and for the presence of neovascularization and VL.
Results:
Retinal neovascularization was distributed as such: neovascularization elsewhere (NVE), 57.3%; neovascularization of the disc (NVD), 11.5%; both neovascularization of the disc and elsewhere (NVED), 31.3%. The proportion of non-perfused retina, so-called ischemic index, was greater in eyes with NVED compared to eyes with NVE only, but not when compared to NVD only. Overall, 83% of eyes had VL. The presence and the extent of VL correlated with the proportion of the ischemic index. While VL and ischemic index were more severe in the mid-periphery and far-periphery, the majority of NVE was located in the posterior pole.
Conclusions:
The presence of both NVD and NVE is associated with a greater ischemic index than NVE alone. Although both VL and ischemic index is significantly higher in peripheral zones, the majority of neovascularization occurs at the posterior pole.
