Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography in Intermediate Uveitis

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the involvement of the retinal and choriocapillaris microvasculature in intermediate uveitis on optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A).

Design: Case-control study.

Methods: Patients and age-matched controls were imaged with swept-source OCT-A. Using ImageJ, superficial and deep retinal vasculature were semi-automatically analyzed for vessel (VD) and skeleton density (SD), vessel diameter index (VDI), and fractal dimension (FD). Choriocapillaris layer was automatically graded for mean signal intensity, signal intensity standard deviation, kurtosis of signal intensity distribution, and flow signal voids.

Results: Twenty-nine intermediate uveitis eyes and 30 control eyes were included. Both superficial and deep retinal layers showed significant reduction in all OCT-A parameters (eg, superficial retinal layer: 0.31 vs 0.40 VD, 5.6e^-8 vs 6.4e^-8 SD, 5.4e⁶ vs 6.1e⁶ VDI, and 1.78 vs 1.79 FD, respectively, all P < .05). At the choriocapillaris layer a greater heterogeneity of perfusion with a shift toward a higher proportion of large confluent flow signal voids was present. Also in the absence of macular edema OCT-A parameters were reduced when compared with healthy controls (all parameters except for VDI in the superficial retinal layer and the choriocapillaris kurtosis and flow signal void analyses).

Conclusions: In intermediate uveitis, reduced vascular density and complexity in superficial as well as deep retinal layers and altered choriocapillaris perfusion are present. Moreover, these findings indicate impairment of the macular microvasculature even in the absence of macular edema. The results of our study may aid in the diagnosis as well as the monitoring of intermediate uveitis.