Comparative assessment of choroidal thickness and choroidal vascularity index in patients with restless legs syndrome

Increased sympathetic activity has been emphasized in the pathophysiology of restless legs syndrome (RLS). This study aims to evaluate the choroidal thickness (CT) and choroidal vascularity index (CVI) values of individuals with RLS.

A total of 60 volunteers, 30 individuals with RLS and 30 healthy individuals, were included in the study. The central macular thickness, subfoveal CT, and the CTs 1000 μm away from the fovea in the temporal and nasal regions were measured by optical coherence tomography. Total choroidal area (TCA), luminal area (LA) and stromal area (SA) were calculated using the binarization method. CVI was calculated as the ratio of lumen area to total choroidal area (LA/TCA).

There was no significant difference between the participants in terms of age, gender, spherical equivalent, intraocular pressure, and axial length (p>0.05). The mean LA/SA was 1.56%±0.05 in RLS group and 1.99%±0.28 in the control group. The mean CVI was 0.64%±0.02% in RLS group and 0.66%±0.03 in the control group. There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of CT, TCA and LA values. There were significant differences between the groups in SA, LA/SA and CVI values (p = 0.017, p<0.001, and p = 0.004, respectively).

SA values were significantly higher in RLS group than in control group. The LA/SA and CVI values were significantly lower in RLS group than in control group. These findings suggests that there is vascular narrowing due to sympathetic overactivity in RLS patients.