Optical coherence tomography angiography evaluation of retinal and optic disc alterations in children with type 1...

To determine the earliest characteristics of retinal and optic disc alterations in diabetic children without diabetic retinopathy (DR) changes by using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA).

This was a prospective, non-interventional case-control study that involved 25 patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) without clinical signs of DR and a demographically similar group of 25 healthy children as the control.

The retina and optic disc were examined using OCTA.

Correlations between the OCTA parameters and clinical predictors were evaluated.

Twenty-five patients (median age: 14 years, interquartile range [IQR]: 13-15.9 years; 12/25 [48%] girls) with T1DM and 25 age-matched controls were enrolled. The patients had a tendency toward thinner fovea (232.5 µm) as compared to the controls (244.3 µm) ( P = 0.142). Superficial vascular density was significantly lower in the DM group compared to the controls (48.90 ± 2.3 vs. 50.91 ± 3.1, P = 0.015). However, no such differences were observed at deeper vascular densities. The patients also had lower whole-disc (48.65 vs. 50.21, P = 0.029), disc interior (49.14 vs. 52.11, P = 0.044), superior (50.67 vs. 53.45, P = 0.039), and peripapillary capillary densities (50.49 vs. 52.68, P = 0.033). There was no statistical correlation between retinal/optic disc angiography parameters and clinical predictors.

In diabetic children without visual impairment or DR, signs of microvasculopathy were found in the superficial macular vascular density and inside the disc.