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Updated: Oct 29, 2025
Retinal Vascular Reactivity as Assessed by Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography
Published on: March 26, 2020
Changes in Retinal Perfusion in Leber's Hereditary Optic Neuropathy: An Optical Coherence Tomography-Angiography
Jian Yu1,2,3, Huan Xu4,5,6, Yongheng Huang4,5,6,7
1Eye Institute and Department of Ophthalmology, Eye & ENT Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China, yujian0210@outlook.com.
Introduction:
We aimed to study the change in the retinal perfusion in Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON).
Methods:
Fourteen patients (28 eyes) diagnosed with LHON and 14 healthy controls (28 eyes) were enrolled. The retinal vessel densities in the parafoveal and peripapillary areas were measured with optical coherence tomography-angiography.
Results:
In the subacute LHON patients, the parafoveal superficial capillary plexus (SCP) and inner retinal thickness (IRT) were significantly reduced in all sectors compared with the controls (all p < 0.05), and the radial peripapillary capillary (RPC) network was significantly reduced in the temporal and inferior temporal sectors compared with the controls (p < 0.05). In the chronic LHON patients, the SCP and IRT were significantly lower in all sectors than in the controls (all p < 0.05), the RPC vessel density and thickness were significantly lower in all sectors than in the controls and lower in the temporal, superior temporal, inferior temporal, and nasal sectors than in the subacute-stage patients (all p < 0.05).
Conclusion:
The retinal structure and the perfusion of the macular and peripapillary areas are reduced in subacute LHON, and the retinal structure and the perfusion of the peripapillary area are further reduced in chronic LHON.
