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Updated: Jul 12, 2026
Evaluation of Capillary and Other Vessel Contribution to Macular Perfusion Density Measured with Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography
Published on: February 18, 2022
Alterations in macular microvasculature in chronic hepatitis B patients measured by optical coherence tomography
Yi Yao1,2,3, Yingjun Cai1,2,3, Huizhuo Xu1,2,3
1Eye Center of Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
Background:
Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) affects approximately 250 million people worldwide and can lead to extrahepatic manifestations, including ocular disorders. However, whether macular microvascular alterations occur in non-cirrhotic CHB patients remains unexplored. This study aimed to quantify superficial macular microvascular density in non-cirrhotic CHB patients utilizing optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) and to explore its correlation with clinical characteristics, including liver stiffness measurement (LSM) and virological markers.
Methods:
This retrospective cross-sectional study enrolled patients with non-cirrhotic CHB who visited the Ophthalmology Department of Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, from January 2015 to August 2021. Healthy individuals matched for age and gender were enrolled as controls. All participants underwent 6×6 mm OCTA imaging focused on the macula. Superficial retinal vessel length density (VLD) and vessel perfusion density (VPD) were compared between the two groups for the central, inner, outer, and full macular zones. Foveal avascular zone (FAZ) parameters and signal strength index (SSI) were also evaluated.
Results:
A total of 24 eyes from 24 non-cirrhotic CHB patients and 24 eyes from 24 age-matched healthy controls (HC) were evaluated. Patients with non-cirrhotic CHB exhibited significantly higher VLD and VPD in the outer zone (OZ) and outer superior zone (OSZ) of the macula compared to the control group. Subsequent Spearman's rank correlation analysis revealed that, within the non-cirrhotic CHB group, both VLD and VPD in the OZ showed a negative association with serum hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) and hepatitis B e antibody (HBeAb) levels, while being positively related to LSM. Additionally, VLD in the OSZ was also found to be negatively correlated with HBeAg levels.
Conclusions:
OCTA parameters can be used as non-invasive biomarkers reflecting systemic and liver inflammation related to non-cirrhotic CHB. This method provides a promising approach for early risk stratification in non-cirrhotic CHB management. Future research can further explore the utility of OCTA in tracking disease progression and monitoring the response to anti-inflammatory treatment in this population.
