Choriocapillary Flow Correlation with Axial Length in High Myopia - An Angiography Study with Optical Coherence...

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Medical Imaging
• Pediatric Eye Care

Background:

• High myopia in children poses risks to retinal and choroidal health.
• Quantitative assessment of microcirculation is crucial for understanding disease progression.
• Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) offers a non-invasive method for microvascular evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantitatively assess retinal and choroidal microcirculation using OCTA in children with high myopia.
• To explore correlations between microcirculation parameters and clinical factors like age, axial length (AL), spherical equivalent (SE), and central retinal thickness (CRT).

Main Methods:

• En face OCTA angiograms were analyzed using automated density and flow algorithms.
• Spearman's rank correlation analysis was employed to assess relationships between perfusion parameters and clinical data.
• Repeatability and reproducibility of OCTA measurements were evaluated in the high myopic cohort.

Main Results:

• OCTA measurements demonstrated good repeatability and reproducibility (3.6-6.5%).
• Significant correlations were found between age and CRT, and between AL and SE.
• A strong negative correlation was observed between axial length and choriocapillary flow density (CCFD).
• Moderate negative correlations were noted between age and superficial parafoveal retinal vessel density (SPRVD) and CCFD.

Conclusions:

• OCTA is a dependable tool for quantitative analysis of retinal and choroidal microcirculation in pediatric high myopia.
• Reduced choriocapillary flow density is associated with increased axial length in high myopic children.