Quantifying anterior segment vascular changes in thyroid eye disease using optical coherence tomography angiography.

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Vascular Biology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Thyroid eye disease (TED) diagnosis and activity assessment are challenging, particularly for ocular surface issues.
• Accurate quantification of vascular changes is crucial for understanding TED pathophysiology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate anterior segment optical coherence tomography angiography (AS-OCTA) for quantifying vascular changes in TED.
• To explore AS-OCTA's potential in aiding TED diagnosis and management by assessing disease activity.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study included 29 TED patients and 21 healthy controls.
• AS-OCTA was used to image nasal and temporal quadrants, analyzing vessel density (VD), vessel length density (VLD), vessel diameter index (VDI), and fractal dimension (FD).
• Clinical activity scores (CAS) were used to assess disease activity.

Main Results:

• TED patients showed higher VD and VLD in the temporal quadrant compared to controls.
• Active TED patients had larger nasal VDI.
• Superficial VD negatively correlated with CAS, while deep VDI positively correlated with CAS.

Conclusions:

• AS-OCTA shows promise for quantitatively assessing vascular alterations in TED.
• Conjunctival vascular parameters measured by AS-OCTA may help in grading TED disease activity.
• This technology offers insights into TED pathophysiology and potential clinical applications.