Choroidal Structural Changes in Sympathetic Ophthalmia on Swept-Source Optical Coherence Tomography

Purpose: To analyze choroidal angioarchitecture in sympathetic ophthalmia (SO) using swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) images. Methods: Case-control study of six patients with SO. Qualitative changes and quantitative parameters, including choroidal thickness (CT) and choroidal vascularity index (CVI), were analyzed. Results: Qualitative findings in the acute phase of SO on SS-OCT included retinal serous detachment with hyperreflective septa, choroidal folds, alterations in angioarchitecture with loss of vascular lacunae, and Dalen-Fuchs nodules. There was significantly higher CT in SO (284.05 +/- 24.12 mu m) compared to healthy controls (229.57 +/- 46.67 mu m, p = 0.04) and also increased CVI in SO (62.06 +/- 2.07% vs 56.79 +/- 3.15%, p = 0.006). Conclusions: CVI was significantly increased in SO, representing a novel noninvasive biomarker of disease activity. SS-OCT provides a useful qualitative and quantitative parameter, which can be potentially explored in the diagnosis and monitoring of patients with SO.

Automated summary

The study analyzed choroidal angioarchitecture in patients with sympathetic ophthalmia using SS-OCT images and found a significant increase in CVI as a novel noninvasive biomarker of disease activity. SS-OCT provides useful qualitative and quantitative parameters for potential use in diagnosing and monitoring patients with SO.