CHORIOCAPILLARIS FEATURES IN FELLOW EYES OF THICK AND THIN POLYPOIDAL CHOROIDAL VASCULOPATHY

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Retinal Diseases
• Vascular Biology

Background:

• Polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) is a subtype of exudative age-related macular degeneration.
• Understanding the characteristics of the fellow eye in unilateral PCV is crucial for predicting disease progression and guiding treatment.
• The choriocapillaris plays a vital role in retinal health and is implicated in various macular diseases.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate and compare the features of the choriocapillaris in the fellow eyes of patients with unilateral thick and thin polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV).
• To determine if distinct choriocapillaris patterns exist between different classifications of PCV based on choroidal thickness.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of optical coherence tomography (OCT) and OCT-angiography data from fellow eyes of unilateral PCV patients.
• Classification of PCV into thick and thin groups based on subfoveal choroidal thickness (≥250 μm).
• Comparison of choriocapillaris characteristics, including flow void density and large flow voids, between PCV groups and controls.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in the total number of flow voids was observed across thick PCV, thin PCV, and control groups.
• Significant differences in total flow void (FV) density were found among the three groups (P < 0.001).
• The number and density of large-sized FVs (>400 μm2) also varied significantly between the thick PCV, thin PCV, and control groups (P < 0.001, 0.006).

Conclusions:

• The flow void characteristics of the choriocapillaris in fellow eyes differ between thick and thin PCV groups.
• These findings suggest that underlying choroidal and choriocapillaris conditions may vary depending on PCV thickness.
• This highlights potential differences in the pathophysiology of PCV subtypes even in the unaffected fellow eye.