Changes in Choroidal Thickness and Structure in Preeclampsia with Serous Retinal Detachment

Preeclampsia is a pregnancy-specific syndrome characterized by hypertension and proteinuria. We retrospectively investigated the clinical features, including choroidal layer thickness and luminal area to stromal area ratio, in a case series of preeclampsia with serous retinal detachment (SRD). The subjects were pregnant women with SRD during hospitalization for preeclampsia from October 2014 to June 2021. Based on medical records, affected eyes, time of onset, fundus examination findings, and subfoveal choroidal thickness (SCT), the choroidal layer thickness and choroidal vascular index (CVI) in each patient was examined. Thirteen eyes from seven patients (mean age 30.7 +/- 4.7 years) were included in the study. In all cases, SRD improved without topical ocular treatment. The mean SCT at the initial visit was 424.4 +/- 70.5 mu m, and all patients had choroidal thickening, which significantly decreased to 286.0 +/- 57.9 mu m (p < 0.01) at the last visit. The mean choroidal inner layer was 162.7 +/- 69.4 mu m at the initial visit and 122.3 +/- 35.5 mu m at the final follow-up visit (p = 0.06), showing no significant difference; however, the mean choroidal outer layer was 261.7 +/- 47.6 mu m at the initial visit and 163.7 +/- 37.1 mu m at the final follow-up visit (p < 0.01), thus showing a significant decrease. The mean CVI was 67.2 +/- 1.3% at the initial visit, yet it had significantly decreased to 65.4 +/- 1.1% (p < 0.01) at the final follow-up visit. The findings of this study show that SRD with preeclampsia is associated with increased thickening of the choroidal outer layer, especially in the choroidal luminal area.

Automated summary

This study retrospectively investigated the clinical features of preeclampsia with serous retinal detachment (SRD) and found that the choroidal outer layer significantly thickens in these patients, especially in the luminal area.