Choroidal Vascular Characteristics in Subclinical Cushing Syndrome: A Cross-Sectional Pilot Study using Enhanced...

To evaluate the potential choroidal vascular changes in newly diagnosed subclinical Cushing syndrome (SCS) patients and to assess whether choroidal parameters correlate with hormonal parameters.

Twenty-one right eyes of 21 patients with SCS and 22 right eyes of 22 healthy individuals were included in the study. Results of the 1 mg dexamethasone suppression test, basal cortisol, basal adrenocorticotropic hormone, and 24-h urine-free cortisol levels were recorded from the patient files. Choroidal thicknesses (CTs) were measured from the subfoveal, 500 μm nasal, and 500 μm temporal quadrants with enhanced depth imaging-optical coherence tomography (OCT). The ImageJ program calculated the choroidal vascularity index (CVI). The choriocapillaris (CC) flow area was evaluated with OCT-angiography. The primary outcome measure was the CVI.

There were no significant differences in subfoveal, nasal, or temporal CT between groups (P > 0.05). In addition, there was no statistically significant difference between the SCS group and the control group in terms of total choroidal area, luminal area, stromal area, and CVI values (P = 0.827, P = 0.466, P = 0.343, and P = 0.065, respectively). The mean difference in subfoveal CVI between the groups was -1.78 (95% confidence interval: -3.8-0.2). No statistical difference was found between the SCS and control groups in terms of CC flow area, with a radius of 1, 2, and 3 mm (P > 0.05). No statistically significant correlation was detected between the examined choroidal and biochemical parameters (P > 0.05).

According to the results of this study, subclinical hormonal changes in newly diagnosed SCS patients do not affect choroidal vascular status.