Evaluation of choroidal vascularity index and choroidal thickness in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome

To evaluate choroidal thickness (CT) and choroidal vascularity index (CVI) in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS), and to compare these parameters with healthy controls.

This study included 35 pSS patients and 37 healthy controls. CVI measurements were performed using enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT). The peripapillary nasal (PPN) and temporal (PPT) regions, with a width of 1000 µm, were analyzed, along with subfoveal (SF) areas at 500, 1000, and 1500 µm. The EDI-OCT images were transferred to ImageJ software for image binarization and CVI calculation. Subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) was also measured.

There was no statistical difference in age, gender and BMI distribution between the groups (all p > 0.05). All CVI values at 5 different measurement points ​​(SF 500 µm, SF 1000 µm, SF 1500 µm, PPN and PPT) were significantly lower in the pSS group (p = 0.01, p = 0.07, p = 0.017, p = 0.03 and p = 0.019, respectively). SFCT values ​​were found to be significantly lower in the patient group (326.2 ± 89.4 µm vs 380.6 ± 78.2 µm, p = 0.008). A significant positive correlation was found between SFCT measurements and PPN CVI and PPT CVI values (r = 0.515, p = 0.002; r = 0.493, p = 0.003, respectively).

We detected significantly thinned CT and decreased CVI values ​​in patients with pSS, for the first time. As a result of our study, CT and CVI measurements may become parameters that can be used in the follow-up of pSS patients in whom no pathology is detected in routine eye examination and perhaps in the evaluation of treatment response.