Evaluation of Ocular Hypoperfusion in Patients with Acromegaly by Using Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography

Association of Body Mass Index and Waist-to-Hip Ratio With Retinal Microvasculature in Healthy Chinese Adults: An Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography Study

PURPOSE

To investigate the association of body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) with macular vessel density (VD) and foveal avascular zone (FAZ), using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA), in healthy Chinese adults.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

METHODS

A total of 1555 Chinese adults aged ≥ 50 years with no history of ocular disease were recruited from communities in Guangzhou, China. The OCTA was performed with a 6 × 6 mm macular angiography model. The FAZ of the superficial capillary plexus (SCP), and VD of SCP and deep capillary plexus (DCP) were calculated. Univariable and multivariable linear regression analyses were used to evaluate the effect of BMI and WHR on VD and FAZ.

RESULTS

The VD of the SCP increased as BMI increased, with average measurements of 39.30 ± 2.14 for normal, 39.52 ± 2.07 for overweight, and 39.76 ± 2.03 for obesity (P = .001). The VD of the DCP also increased with increasing BMI (P = .009). Multiple regression models confirmed a positive association between generalized obesity and superficial VD in the whole image (β = 0.350, P = .008), inner circle (β = 0.431, P = .032), and outer circle (β = 0.368, P = .005). After adjusting for confounders, tertile 3 of the WHR level was positively associated with superficial VD (β = 0.472, P = .033) and deep VD (β = 0.422, P = .034) only in the inner circle.

CONCLUSIONS

Generalized obesity was associated with increased superficial VD, while abdominal obesity was associated with increased superficial and deep VD only in the inner circle. Different manifestations of the retinal microvasculature may reflect distinct roles of body composition on macular vessel alterations and disease occurrence.

Retinal Microvascular Changes in Patients with Multiple Myeloma: A Study Based on Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography

PURPOSE

Ocular microvascular networks and variables were analyzed using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) in patients with multiple myeloma (MM) who had no pathological findings in their routine ophthalmologic examinations.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The study included 31 patients with a diagnosis of MM and 30 healthy controls. The ophthalmologic examination findings and OCTA measurements of the participants were prospectively analyzed. We evaluated the superficial capillary plexus (SCP) vessel density (VD) and deep capillary plexus (DCP) VD in macular region, radial peripapillary capillary (RPC) VD, optic nerve head (ONH) VD and the foveal avascular zone (FAZ) area.

RESULTS

The samples were gender-balanced, and there were no significant differences in age or gender between the MM and control groups. From the OCTA, all the ONH-VD measurements, except for the peripapillary and superotemporal parameters, were found to be significantly lower in MM patients than in the control group; the same was found for the whole image, inferonasal, superonasal, and superotemporal RPC-VD values; for all the SCP-VD values, except for the inferior hemi and temporal; and for all the DCP-VD values. It was also observed that the deep FAZ area was wider in the MM group than in the control group.

CONCLUSIONS

We detected decreased VD in deep and superficial macular retinal areas, papillary, peripapillary regions, suggesting decreased blood flow and possible ischemia in MM patients. Therefore, obtaining information on ischemia by using a noninvasive and easily measurable method such as OCTA, may be beneficial in terms of follow-up and treatment but this needs to be supported by further, larger studies.