Quantification of vascular and neuronal changes in the peripapillary retinal area secondary to diabetic retinopathy
British Journal of Ophthalmology Sep 18, 2020
Frizziero L, Parrozzani R, Londei D, et al. - Using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) and OCT angiography (OCTA), researchers conducted this cross-sectional study to examine and quantify peripapillary vascular and neuronal changes secondary to diabetic retinopathy. Fifty-one eyes of 51 patients affected by non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) and 19 age-matched healthy control eyes had a full ophthalmic examination, including OCT and OCTA in the peripapillary area. Vessel area density (VAD), vessel length fraction (VLF) and vessel diameter index (VDI) have been quantified in a ring-shaped region of interest of each OCTA image. According to findings, VAD and VLF of peripapillary capillaries were significantly decreased in NPDR eyes, along with the progression of NPDR. There was no statistically significant association between perfusion parameters and peripapillary retinal nerve fibre layer and ganglion cell complex thickness. Retinal capillary remodelling in NPDR also involves the peripapillary vascularisation, as demonstrated by OCTA quantitative parameters. The peripapillary macrovasculature and microvasculature should be analysed separately. The lack of direct association between peripapillary capillaries changes and loss of retinal nerve fibres indicates that neuronal damage can not be simply considered secondary to the microvascular one.
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