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Choroidal vascular structures in diabetic patients: a meta-analysis.
Satoru Kase1, Hiroaki Endo2, Mitsuo Takahashi2
1Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine and Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, N15 W7, Kita-ku, Sapporo, 060-8638, Japan. kaseron@med.hokudai.ac.jp.
Summary
Diabetic eyes without retinopathy show a reduced choroidal vascular ratio compared to healthy eyes. This finding in choroidal vascular structures may help understand diabetic retinopathy development.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Diabetology
- Vascular Biology
Background:
- Diabetic patients often exhibit alterations in choroidal vascular structures.
- Diabetic retinopathy (DR) development is linked to vascular changes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To perform a meta-analysis on choroidal vascular structures in diabetic eyes without diabetic retinopathy (NDR) compared to healthy controls.
- To systematically evaluate measurements of choroidal vascular structures in relation to diabetes.
Main Methods:
- A meta-analysis was conducted using data from PubMed and Web of Science up to May 2020.
- Included five studies comparing 282 NDR eyes and 511 control eyes.
- Calculated the choroidal vascular ratio (CVR) using two binarization algorithms.
Main Results:
- The choroidal vascular ratio (CVR) was significantly lower in NDR eyes than in healthy control eyes (WMD = -2.16; 95% CI: -3.19 to -1.13; P < 0.005).
- Sub-analysis adjusting for HbA1c and diabetes duration yielded similar results.
Conclusions:
- Diabetic eyes without retinopathy demonstrate a significantly reduced choroidal vascular ratio.
- This finding may enhance understanding of the pathophysiology underlying diabetic retinopathy.
- Heterogeneity was noted in the primary analysis studies.
