Choroidal Thickness in Mild Autonomous Cortisol Secretion

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Endocrinology
• Medical Diagnostics

Background:

• Mild autonomous cortisol secretion (MACS) is a condition with potential health implications.
• Assessing diagnostic tools for MACS is crucial for patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate choroidal thickness (CT) in patients with MACS.
• To determine if CT can be a diagnostic tool for MACS.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study comparing 27 MACS patients with 25 healthy controls.
• Choroidal thickness (CT) was measured using Spectralis optical coherence tomography.

Main Results:

• MACS patients exhibited significantly thicker choroids than controls across all measurement areas (p<0.001).
• Choroidal thickness correlated with 2 mg dexamethasone suppression test results.
• Pachychoroid pigment epitheliopathy was more frequent in the MACS group.

Conclusions:

• Increased choroidal thickness is observed in MACS patients.
• Thicker choroids in MACS patients may indicate a novel diagnostic biomarker for hypercortisolemia and associated comorbidities.