Longitudinal changes in optical coherence tomography angiography before and after surgery for acute primary angle...

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Retinal Imaging
• Microvascular Research

Background:

• Acute Primary Angle Closure (APAC) involves sudden intraocular pressure (IOP) elevation.
• The impact of APAC on ocular microvasculature and its long-term effects require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate changes in retinal microvasculature in APAC patients post-surgery.
• To correlate these microvascular changes with retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) thickness.
• To examine the effects of acute IOP elevation on ocular microvasculature.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective longitudinal study of 22 APAC eyes and 22 healthy fellow eyes.
• Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) to assess vessel density (VD) in superficial (SVC) and deep (DVC) vascular complexes.
• Preoperative and postoperative measurements (1 week, 1 month) of VD, RNFL, and GCIPL thickness.

Main Results:

• Postoperatively, SVC vessel density (VD) in the optic disc and macula decreased significantly at one month.
• Deep vascular complex (DVC) disc VD also showed significant changes at one month.
• SVC VD changes correlated significantly with RNFL and GCIPL thickness variations.
• SVC disc VD demonstrated superior diagnostic performance compared to DVC disc VD.

Conclusions:

• Acute IOP elevation in APAC has lasting effects on ocular microvasculature.
• Postoperative alterations in SVC VD are more sensitive indicators for monitoring APAC patients.