Peripheral Nonperfusion Areas Research Articles

A new phenotype or retinal involvement in Steinert Disease: a case report.

To report a case illustrating the association of Steinert Disease (SD) with peripheral retinal non-perfusion areas and epiretinal membrane. Case report. A 47-year-old Caucasian female diagnosed with SD was referred for blurred vision in her right eye (RE). She presented bilateral ptosis with deficit of elevator muscle.Dilated fundus examination revealed altered macular reflex, peripheral vascular alterations, and ghost vessels bilaterally. Structural spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) showed an epiretinal membrane with a partial alteration of the foveal profile in the RE. Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) images revealed no evidence of neovascular membrane in the macular region. Fluoresceine angiography (FA) showed retinal peripheral non perfusion areas and leakage in the late phases of the examination. Any retinal alteration should be considered during the ophthalmological examination of patients suffering from type 1 myotonic dystrophy. OCT and fluoresceine angiography should be performed evaluating the SD patient that complains about visual impairment.

Relationships among Retinal Nonperfusion, Neovascularization, and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Levels in Quiescent Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy.

Purpose: To investigate the relationships among the retinal nonperfusion (NP) area, neovascularization (NV) area, and aqueous humor vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels in quiescent proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). Methods: Forty-seven eyes from 47 patients with treatment-naïve PDR that did not show macular edema or vitreous hemorrhage were enrolled. NP area, NV number, and NV area were quantitatively measured using ultra-widefield fluorescein angiography in an automated manner. Aqueous humor VEGF level was measured using a bead assay. Results: The NP areas of the total, posterior pole, peripheral retinae, and NV area positively correlated with each other (all p < 0.034). NV number correlated with total NP area, peripheral NP area, and NV area (all p ≤ 0.001). VEGF levels were significantly positively correlated with total, posterior polar, and peripheral NP areas and NV area (r = 0.575, 0.422, 0.558, and 0.362, respectively; all p ≤ 0.012). In eyes with NV in the disc area, the VEGF level was higher compare to eyes without NV in the disc area (208.89 ± 192.77 pg/mL vs. 103.34 ± 132.66, p = 0.010). A multiple linear regression model using NP area, NV area, and NVD demonstrated good prediction for VEGF level (R2 = 0.417, p < 0.001) and revealed a significant contribution of the peripheral NP area in predicting the VEGF level (β = 0.497, p = 0.002). Conclusions: Aqueous humor VEGF levels in quiescent PDR eyes were associated with NP and NV areas, which had positive correlations with each other. In addition, the NP area of the peripheral retina was the most important predictor of VEGF level.

YOUNGER AGE AT PRESENTATION IN CHILDREN WITH COATS DISEASE IS ASSOCIATED WITH MORE ADVANCED STAGE AND WORSE VISUAL PROGNOSIS: A Retrospective Study.

To determine the age distribution of children with Coats disease and the impact of age at diagnosis on the visual prognosis. Consecutive Coats disease cases aged 18 years or younger at diagnosis were retrospectively included. Clinical and imaging parameters were analyzed by comparative, correlation, survival, univariate, and multivariate statistics. Ninety-eight patients were included. At diagnosis, mean age was 5.4 years ± 4.3 years (1 month-18 years). Younger age at diagnosis was correlated with more severe disease stage (P < 0.0001, r = -0.52), which was confirmed by survival analysis (P < 0.0001). Comparative analysis was performed between patients younger and older than 4 years at diagnosis. Leukocoria or strabismus was more frequent at presentation in patients younger than 4 years (P < 0.0001). Areas of peripheral nonperfusion and peripheral telangiectasia were more extensive at presentation in younger than older patients (P = 0.0003 and P = 0.039). Foveal sparing at diagnosis was less frequent in younger than older patients (2% vs. 23%, P = 0.002). The incidence of structural complications or enucleation during follow-up (mean duration: 5.9 years ± 4.5 years) was higher, and last-recorded visual acuity was lower in younger than older patients (P = 0.001 and P = 0.0009). Final logarithm of the minimal angle of resolution visual acuity was negatively correlated with age at diagnosis (P = 0.001, Spearman r = -0.42). Multivariate analysis indicated that disease stage (P < 0.0001), but not age at diagnosis (P = 0.07), independently influenced the last-recorded visual acuity. Onset of Coats disease in children of younger age is associated with more severe manifestations, more advanced stage, and worse visual outcome. Age, correlated with disease stage, should be considered a prognostic marker in Coats disease.

Morphologic and Functional Retinal Vessel Changes in Branch Retinal Vein Occlusion: An Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography Study

The present study aimed to investigate the morphology of the retinal vasculature in eyes with branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) using optical coherence tomography (OCT) angiography. Observational case series. Fluorescein angiography (FA) and OCT angiography were used to examine macular area and the retinal vasculature at the affected arteriovenous (AV) crossing in 46 patients with BRVO. FA revealed that the affected AV crossing pattern involved arterial overcrossing in 23 eyes (50.0%) and venous overcrossing in 11 eyes (23.9%). However, FA failed to detect the crossing pattern in 10 eyes (21.7%). OCT angiography was significantly more effective for identification of the AV crossing pattern than FA (44 eyes; 95.7%; P= .013). The number of eyes with venous overcrossing detected via OCT angiography (20 eyes, 43.5%) was also higher than that detected via FA (P= .047). OCT angiography revealed that venous narrowing (25.5 ± 21.1μm) was significantly greater in instances of venous overcrossing than in those of arterial overcrossing (46.4 ± 23.7μm, P= .005). Macular nonperfusion areas (NPAs) were larger in eyes with venous overcrossing than in those with arterial overcrossing (P= .011 for superficial plexus, P= .049 for deep plexus). The peripheral NPA was significantly larger in eyes with venous overcrossing (65.1 ± 35.3 disc area [DA]) than in those with arterial overcrossing (17.2 ± 24.1 DA; P < .001). Our findings suggest that BRVO characterized by venous overcrossing may be more prevalent than previously reported, and that there is a significant association between NPA size and AV crossing pattern.

PERIPHERAL AREAS OF NONPERFUSION IN TREATED CENTRAL RETINAL VEIN OCCLUSION AS IMAGED BY WIDE-FIELD FLUORESCEIN ANGIOGRAPHY

To develop a method of imaging the retina using wide-field fluorescein angiography and use this method to investigate the areas of perfusion abnormalities in patients treated with ranibizumab for central retinal vein occlusion. Cross-sectional analysis of patients recruited to a prospective study. Patients in a prospective study of ranibizumab for central retinal vein occlusion were imaged with wide-field angiography. Fluorescein angiograms taken with the Optos P200 Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscope were obtained of the posterior portion of the eye and of the periphery through ocular steering. Resultant images of the periphery were registered to the posterior image using thin-plate spline warping. A transformation was used to measure the retinal surface area. Perfusion characteristics were compared with injection frequencies and protocol refraction visual acuity measurements. Of 22 patients imaged, 7 would be classified as nonperfused by the Central Retinal Vein Occlusion Study (CVOS) angiographic criteria. However, all patients showed confluent areas of nonperfusion in the retinal periphery ranging in size from 16 disk areas to 242 disk areas. The areas of peripheral nonperfusion were not significantly different in the Central Retinal Vein Occlusion Study-perfused group versus nonperfused group. The area of peripheral nonperfusion was not correlated with the number of injections (r = -0.13, P = 0.58), but was inversely correlated with visual acuity (r = -0.52, P = 0.013). Blood vessels at the border of the peripheral nonperfusion did not show signs of neovascular growth or profuse leakage. Angiographic mapping of the retina is possible using image-processing techniques with wide-field images. Eyes with central retinal vein occlusion develop widespread peripheral vascular obliteration in regions that are difficult to image with conventional fundus cameras. These nonperfused areas may have important implications for visual function.