Choroidal Patterns Include Unique Vascular Density and Choroidal Thicknesses

Choroidal patterns in individuals without ocular pathologies include thickness and vascular density values that differ by region, according to research published in the Archivos de la Sociedad Española de Oftalmologiá.

The study examined associations between vascular density and choroidal thickness and included individuals who underwent imaging with swept source-optical coherence tomography-angiography (SS-OCT-A; N=51; mean age, 27.32 years; men, 13) at a single center between January and May 2017. Vascular density values were obtained by translating the colors of the vessel density map into numbers based on a scale of 1 to 9.

An assessment of choroidal patterns, with respect to choroidal thickness, revealed that this variable was thickest in the superior macula (mean, 321.60 mm), thicker in the vertical axis, and thinner when approaching nasal and temporal (mean 21.89 mm) sides. Comparisons between men and women in the study revealed similar mean thickness in all Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (EDTRS) grids (P ≥.07 for all).

Choroidal vascular density was highest in the juxtapapillary area (mean, 4.62), lowest in the superior macula (mean, 1.15), and moderate inverse correlations between choroidal thickness and choroidal vessel density were found in the juxtapapillary and inferior regions, according to the report.

“It has been found that [choroidal thickness] in healthy individuals is not uniform along the macula and it has not the same thickness pattern as the retina.” the researchers explain. “It varies with demographic, physiological factors, day time, systemic diseases and even with caffeine ingestion.”

Study limitations include a single center design, the exclusion of individuals aged older than 35 years, and an ethnically homogenous cohort consisting of individuals of White race, which may limit the globalization of these findings.