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. 2014 Jun 27;38(4):173-179.
doi: 10.3109/01658107.2014.926943. eCollection 2014.

Choroidal Thickness in Nonarteritic Anterior Ischaemic Optic Neuropathy: A Study with Optical Coherence Tomography

Arnaldo Dias-Santos  1 , Joana Ferreira  1 , Luís Abegão Pinto  2 , André Vicente  1 , Rita Anjos  1 , Ana Cabugueira  1 , Rita Flores  3 , João Paulo Cunha  3
Affiliations

Choroidal Thickness in Nonarteritic Anterior Ischaemic Optic Neuropathy: A Study with Optical Coherence Tomography

Arnaldo Dias-Santos et al. Neuroophthalmology. .

Abstract

Nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NA-AION) is the most common nonglaucomatous optic neuropathy in adults over 50 years of age. It is usually related to cardiovascular risk factors. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate choroidal thickness in patients with chronic NA-AION, and the secondary objective was to evaluate macular thickness in these patients. This cross-sectional study compared two groups: group 1 included 20 eyes of 20 patients with chronic NA-AION, and group 2 included 31 eyes of 31 healthy controls. In both groups, the choroidal thickness was measured using the enhanced depth imaging program of Heidelberg Spectralis® optical coherence tomography (Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany). The macular thickness was also measured using the automatic software of the same device. The mean follow-up time after NA-AION in group 1 was 57.17 ± 26.92 months. The mean choroidal thickness of the posterior pole was 244.38 ± 61.03 µm in group 1 and 214.18 ± 65.97 µm in group 2 (p = 0.004). The mean macular thickness was higher in group 2. Macular thickness is reduced in eyes that had an episode of NA-AION, whereas choroidal thickness is generally higher in these eyes when compared with normal eyes. The increase in choroidal thickness may be due to a local dysfunction in vascular autoregulatory mechanisms, which may predispose to ischemic phenomena.

Keywords: Choroidal thickness; enhanced depth imaging; macular thickness; nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy; optical coherence tomography.

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Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
EDI-OCT imaging in three horizontal sections of the posterior pole. The choroid was measured vertically from the outer border of the hyperreflective line corresponding to the RPE to the inner scleral border. Choroidal thickness measurements were made centrally (in the foveal meridian) and at 1500 µm in the nasal and temporal directions.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Mean choroidal thickness (in µm) in both groups.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Correlation between choroidal thickness (in µm) and the time (in months) since the onset of NA-AION.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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