Investigation of the choroidal structure in non-neovascular age-related macular degeneration patients with reticular pseudodrusen

Background: This study aimed to compare choroidal thickness, total choroidal area (TCA), luminal area (LA), stromal area (SA) and choroidal vascularity index (CVI) in patients with reticular pseudodrusen (RPD) and drusen. Methods: A total of 100 eyes of 100 patients with non-neovascular age related macular degeneration (AMD) with five or more medium drusen (63-125 mu m) and RPD in two or more quadrants were recruited to the study. 48 eyes of 48 patients with RPD were assigned as Group 1 and 52 eyes of 52 patients with drusen were assigned as Group 2. 40 right eyes of 40 healthy subjects were included as controls. Patients with neovascular AMD or advanced non-neovascular AMD were excluded from the study. After a detailed ophthalmic examination, infrared reflectance images and OCT with enhanced depth imaging mode was obtained from all patients. TCA, SA, LA and CVI were calculated using the Image J program. The data were analyzed for statistics using SPSS software. Results: The female/male ratio was 56/44 in the patient groups and 20/20 in the control group. The mean age was 73.63 +/- 6.14 (61-91) years for Group 1 and 69.43 +/- 6.97 (59-87) years for Group 2 (p=0.005). The mean age of Group 3 patients was 71.14 +/- 8.17 (60-79) years and was statistically similar to Groups 1 and 2 (p=0.09 and p=0.12, respectively). Choroidal thickness, TCA, SA and LA were significantly lower in Group 1 (p<0.001). CVI and foveal thicknesses were not significantly different between Group 1 and 2 (p=0.214 and p=0.384 respectively). CVI was significantly lower in Group 3 (p<0.01). RPD was most commonly seen in the superior quadrant followed by temporal, nasal, and inferior quadrants. Conclusions: TCA, SA and LA, which reflect choroidal vasculature, were decreased in patients with RPD. These parameters can help evaluate the pathophysiology of the disease.

Automated summary

This study compared choroidal thickness, TCA, LA, SA, and CVI in patients with RPD and drusen. The results showed that patients with RPD had lower TCA, SA, and LA, indicating a decreased choroidal vasculature. These parameters can help evaluate the pathophysiology of the disease.