Intraretinal microvascular changes after ERM and ILM peeling using SSOCTA

• Published in: PloS one 2020-12, Vol.15 (12), p.e0242667-e0242667
• Main Authors: Told, Reinhard, Georgopoulos, Michael, Reiter, Gregor Sebastian, Wassermann, Lorenz, Aliyeva, Leyla, Baumann, Lukas, Abela-Formanek, Claudette, Pollreisz, Andreas, Schmidt-Erfurth, Ursula, Sacu, Stefan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acuity; Aged; Angiography; Biology and Life Sciences; Blood vessels; Blood Vessels - diagnostic imaging; Blood Vessels - growth & development; Blood Vessels - physiopathology; Cataracts; Computer and Information Sciences; Correlation; Cysts; Demographic aspects; Development and progression; Diagnosis; Disease; Engineering and Technology; Epiretinal Membrane - diagnostic imaging; Epiretinal Membrane - physiopathology; Eye (anatomy); Female; Fluorescein Angiography; Fovea Centralis - blood supply; Fovea Centralis - physiopathology; Humans; Macula Lutea - blood supply; Macula Lutea - diagnostic imaging; Macula Lutea - physiopathology; Macular degeneration; Male; Medical imaging; Medicine and Health Sciences; Membranes; Microvasculature; Middle Aged; Optical tomography; Optometry; Parameters; Patients; Peeling; Research and Analysis Methods; Retina; Retina - diagnostic imaging; Retina - physiopathology; Retinal Vessels - diagnostic imaging; Retinal Vessels - growth & development; Retinal Vessels - physiopathology; Social Sciences; Tomography, Optical Coherence; Visual acuity; Visual Acuity - physiology; Vitrectomy
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0242667

To prospectively investigate retinal vascular changes in patients undergoing epiretinal membrane (ERM) and internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling using swept source optical coherence tomography angiography (SSOCTA). Consecutive patients were grouped based on ERM severity and followed using SSOCTA up to month 3 after surgical intervention. Superficial and deep foveal avascular zone (s/dFAZ) as well as foveal and parafoveal vessel density (VD) were correlated with ERM severity and visual acuity. Differences between groups were evaluated. Significant correlations were found between ERM severity and baseline sFAZ, dFAZ and best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), central retinal subfield thickness (CST) and ΔCST (r = -0.52, r = -0.43, r = -0.42, r = 0.58, r = 0.39; all p0.05). This study clearly shows that ERM severity based on ERM staging has to be taken into account when undertaking studies in patients with idiopathic ERM using SSOCTA. Further, specific changes in the superficial and deep retinal vasculature in eyes undergoing ERM and ILM peeling were found. However, the clinical usefulness and prognostic value for post-surgical treatment BCVA of the SSOCTA-derived variables (sFAZ and dFAZ area, as well as foveal and parafoveal VD) used remains questionable.