Work

Distribution and morphologic characteristics of choroidal vortex veins in Pachychoroid disease

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: • In this study, wide-field indocyanine green angiography was used to classify choroidal vortex veins in pachychoroid disease (PCD) patients, based on location (equatorial/posterior) and morphology (absent, incomplete, complete, complete with ampulla). • This study revealed that only 8.9 % (17 out of 190) of PCD eyes exhibited posterior vortex veins, providing new insights into choroidal vascular architecture in this condition. • Our research uniquely identified the incomplete vortex vein as the most prevalent morphological type in PCD eyes, contributing to the understanding of choroidal hemodynamics in pachychoroid spectrum disorders. This study aimed to elucidate the distribution and morphological features of choroidal vortex veins in pachychoroid disease (PCD). Retrospective observational study. Patients with PCD included from January 2022 to June 2023. We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional analysis using wide-field indocyanine green angiography (WF-ICGA) to assess choroidal vortex veins in PCD patients, categorizing them based on location (equatorial/posterior) and morphology (absent, incomplete, complete, complete with ampulla). The incidence of different location and morphology of vortex veins in PCD. A total of 190 eyes from 99 PCD patients were examined. Notably, only 8.9 % (17/190) of eyes had posterior vortex veins. We identified 1620 vortex veins, predominantly equatorial (99 %, 1603/1620). Morphologically, the most common type was incomplete (61.9 %), followed by complete (19.5 %), absent (11.1 %), and complete with ampulla (7.5 %). The distribution of these veins varied, with the inferotemporal quadrant showing the highest prevalence at 26.9 %, followed by the superonasal (26.1 %), superotemporal (24.3 %), and inferonasal (22.7 %) quadrants. The median number of vortex veins per eye was 8, with a range from 5 to 15. This study highlights that posterior vortex veins are less frequent in PCD eyes, with incomplete veins being the most prevalent. These findings provide important clinical evidence for understanding the distribution and morphologic characteristics of choroidal vortex veins in PCD, contributing to our knowledge of the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying this condition.

Source: Photodiagnosis and Photodynamic Therapy

DOI: 10.1016/j.pdpdt.2024.104404