Pulsation of anastomotic vortex veins in pachychoroid spectrum diseases

Abstract

Accumulating evidence points to pachychoroid possibly being caused by vortex vein congestion which results in remodeling of choroidal drainage routes via intervortex vein anastomosis. This hypothesis prompted us to investigate vortex vein hemodynamics by studying videos of indocyanine green angiography (ICGA) in a retrospective case series of 295 eyes with pachychoroid spectrum diseases. In the early phase of the video-ICGA, pulsatile vortex venous flow was observed in 76 eyes (25.8%) at the vortex veins connected with anastomosis between superior and inferior vortex veins. The patients with pulsatile vortex venous flow were significantly older than those without pulsatile vortex venous flow (67.8 ± 13.2 vs. 63.9 ± 14.5 years, P < 0.05). Pulsatile vortex venous flow was 1.84 times more common in the inferior quadrants than in the superior quadrants. Interestingly, 14 of 76 eyes (18.4%) with pulsatile vortex venous flow showed retrograde pulsatile blood flow in the vortex veins. This retrograde pulsatile blood flow was 2.50 times more common in the inferior than in the superior quadrants. These findings indicate altered vortex vein hemodynamics due to vortex vein congestion in pachychoroid spectrum diseases.