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Updated: Aug 1, 2026
Doppler Optical Coherence Tomography of Retinal Circulation
Published on: September 18, 2012
Submacular Choroidal Arteries: A Laser Doppler Holography and OCT Study
Michel Paques1,2, Zosia Bratasz3, Leo Puyo1
1Paris Eye Imaging Group, Clinical Investigation Center 1423, Quinze-Vingts Hospital, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Medicale-DIrection de l'Hospitalisation et de l'Offre de Soins, Paris, France.
Objective:
To document the aspect, topography and morphometry of normal human choroidal arteries in the posterior pole by laser Doppler holography (LDH) and OCT.
Design:
Cross-sectional study.
Subjects:
Fifty-four eyes of 27 healthy subjects.
Methods:
A prototypic LDH system captured the laser Doppler shift of the choroidal circulation within the central 20°. Doppler shifts were filtered to extract high velocity vessels. Images of choroidal arteries identified by LDH were subsequently registered with en face and cross-sectional OCT images. Subsequently, the diameters of macular choroidal arteries and their correlation to central choroidal thickness was measured on OCT B-scans.
Main Outcome Measures:
Spatial disposition, distribution, and diameters of choroidal arteries.
Results:
Choroidal arteries were identified by LDH and OCT from their emergence from short posterior ciliary arteries (sPCAs), and could be traced to second and third divisions. In the 8 eyes that underwent LDH, 7 of 8 (88%) showed a horizontal first-order artery within 0.5 disc diameter from the fovea. OCT B-scans showed that first-order arteries were located along the sclera-choroid interface; around arteries, the choroidal tissue formed a pyramid-shaped avascular structure with a posterior base contiguous and isoreflective to the sclera. In a cohort of 49 eyes, the diameter of horizontal submacular arteries (average [± standard deviation] 136.3 μm [±47]; range, 70-209 μm) was weakly correlated to central choroidal thickness (P = 0.09).
Conclusions:
First-order choroidal arteries emerging from sPCAs are located along the sclerochoroidal interface and are surrounded by a pyramid-shaped avascular space, which contributes to differentiate them from veins. The majority of normal eye show a submacular first-order artery running horizontally toward the temporal periphery. These results will pave the way for a better knowledge of diseases affecting the choroidal circulation.
Financial Disclosures:
Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found in the Footnotes and Disclosures at the end of this article.
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