Quantitative detection of macular microvascular abnormalities identified by optical coherence tomography angiography in different hematological diseases

• Published in: Scientific reports 2024-10, Vol.14 (1), p.25433-10, Article 25433
• Main Authors: Jian, Tianzi, Xu, Fabao, Li, Guihua, Song, Boxuan, Wang, Helei, Yang, Xueying, Zhai, Weibin, Li, Xiangchen, Li, Zhiwen, Feng, Qi, Xu, Shuqian, Semple, John W., Zhang, Li, Peng, Jun
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 692/698/233; 692/699/3161; Adult; Aged; Angiography; Blood; Blood diseases; Capillaries; Cell lines; Clinical Medicine; Erythrocyte diseases; Female; Fluorescein Angiography - methods; Hematologic Diseases - diagnostic imaging; Hematological diseases; Hematology; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Klinisk medicin; Lymphocyte diseases; Macula Lutea - blood supply; Macula Lutea - diagnostic imaging; Male; Medical and Health Sciences; Medical imaging; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; Microvasculature; Microvessels - diagnostic imaging; Microvessels - pathology; Middle Aged; multidisciplinary; Myelocyte diseases; Oftalmologi; Ophthalmology; Optical coherence tomography angiography; Pancytopenia diseases; Retina; Retinal Diseases - diagnostic imaging; Retinal Diseases - pathology; Retinal Vessels - diagnostic imaging; Retinal Vessels - pathology; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Tomography; Tomography, Optical Coherence - methods; Visual perception
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-76753-8

It is now understood that hematological diseases can have detrimental effects on the retina, reducing retinal capillaries, compromising visual function, and potentially causing irreversible visual impairment. Over the years, there has been limited research on macular microvascular abnormalities, such as changes in vessel density and the foveal avascular zone (FAZ) and variations in the severity of these effects across different types of blood disorders. This study aims to quantitatively assess the impact of various hematological disorders on the retina using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). Compared with healthy eyes, patients with different blood diseases exhibited reductions in linear vessel density (LVD), perfusion vessel density (PVD), FAZ area, and FAZ perimeter. Notably, patients with erythrocyte diseases showed more significant abnormalities in LVD and PVD, while patients with lymphocytic diseases demonstrated more pronounced abnormalities in the FAZ area and perimeter. OCTA imaging could potentially reflect changes of the retinal microvascular of patients with hematological diseases and may serve as a valuable tool for distinguishing abnormalities affecting different blood cell lines. This approach offers a novel avenue for assessing, treating, and monitoring blood disorders.