The Organization of Choroidal Arteries in Normal Eyes

To determine the organization of normal human choroidal arteries using a combination of laser Doppler holography (LDH) and OCT.

Cross-sectional clinical study.

One hundred thirty-two eyes of 74 healthy subjects.

By combining images from a prototypic LDH system and from OCT, we documented the 3-dimensional disposition of choroidal arteries from their emergence from ciliary arteries to precapillary arterioles.

Distribution, diameters, and pathways of choroidal arteries.

A notable intereye variability in the disposition of arteries was found, in which dominant patterns were identified. A short ciliary artery emerging within 1000 μm from the fovea was identified in 63% of eyes, giving rise to a horizontal submacular artery (SMA; mean diameter 119.7 ± 24.9 μm) oriented temporally. The detection rate of an SMA was inversely correlated with choroidal thickness, that is, SMAs were more often identified in thinner choroids. Among cases with a detectable SMA, its diameter positively correlated with choroidal thickness (P < 0.003). Long posterior ciliary arteries were identified in 43% of eyes and emerged at a mean distance of 4820 ± 1567 μm temporal to the fovea (mean diameter 115 ± 41 μm). Paraoptic arteries radiated from the margins of the optic nerve head, some of which perfused the macula. Disseminated axially oriented arterioles perfusing precapillary arterioles were detected from first-order arteries.

Using a combination of LDH and OCT in healthy eyes, we identified recurrent organizational patterns of choroidal arteries in normal eyes, including SMAs, long posterior ciliary arteries, paraoptic arteries, and precapillary complexes. Characterizing the physiologic variants of the disposition of choroidal arteries helps to provide a reference framework that will enable the identification of disease-related changes.

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