Work

Application of ultra-widefield scanning laser ophthalmoscopy in early familial exudative vitreoretinopathy

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: This study aimed to evaluate the screening value and diagnostic performance of ultra-widefield scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (UWF-SLO) in early familial exudative vitreoretinopathy (FEVR) in asymptomatic first-degree relatives of affected patients, using fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA) as the reference standard. This retrospective cross-sectional diagnostic accuracy study included 68 asymptomatic first-degree relatives (136 eyes in total) confirmed as carriers of FEVR-causative genes via genetic testing. All subjects underwent both UWF-SLO and FFA examinations during the same period. Using FFA as the reference standard, we assessed the diagnostic agreement, sensitivity, and specificity of UWF-SLO. UWF-SLO detected at least one fundus abnormality in 92.6% (126/136) of eyes, while FFA did so in 95.6% (130/136). UWF-SLO detected vitreoretinal interface abnormalities (67.6%) and pigmentation within avascular areas (39.7%) that FFA could not reliably visualize. Using FFA as the reference standard, UWF-SLO demonstrated a sensitivity of 93.8% (95% CI: 88.2%–97.3%; 87.5%–98.5% by participant-clustered bootstrap) and a specificity of 33.3% (95% CI: 4.3%–77.7%; 0.0%–100.0% by participant-clustered bootstrap). The specificity estimate is based on only 6 FFA-negative eyes and should be interpreted with caution for diagnosing FEVR. UWF-SLO is a promising adjunctive non-invasive imaging modality for detecting FFA-defined peripheral abnormalities in genetically confirmed relatives at high risk for FEVR. It offers particular advantages in identifying structural fundus abnormalities and can serve as an effective complement to FFA.

Source: Scientific Reports

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-026-67631-6