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Comparison of retinal and choriocapillaris thicknesses following sitting to supine transition in healthy individuals and patients with age-related macular degeneration
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Comparison of retinal and choriocapillaris thicknesses following sitting to supine transition in healthy individuals and patients with age-related macular degeneration

David R P Almeida, Li Zhang, Eric K Chin, Robert F Mullins, Murat Kucukevcilioglu, D Brice Critser, Milan Sonka, Edwin M Stone, James C Folk, Michael D Abràmoff, …
JAMA ophthalmology, Vol.133(3), pp.297-303
03/2015
DOI: 10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2014.5168
PMCID: PMC5777152
PMID: 25521616
url
https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2014.5168View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

The effects of position on retinal and choroidal structure are absent from the literature yet may provide insights into disease states such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD). To evaluate the effect of postural change on retinal and choroidal structures in healthy volunteers and patients with non-neovascular AMD. Prospective observational case series at an academic tertiary care retina service from September 2013 to April 2014 involving 4 unaffected volunteers (8 eyes) and 7 patients (8 eyes) with intermediate AMD. Healthy volunteers selected for the study had no evidence of ocular disease. Patients with AMD were required to have at least 10 intermediate-sized drusen. Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography with enhanced depth imaging in upright (sitting) and supine positions. Stable imaging was achieved using a rotating adjustable mechanical arm that we constructed to allow the optical coherence tomography transducer to rotate 90°. The Iowa Reference Algorithms were used to quantify choroid and choriocapillaris thicknesses. Changes in sitting and supine position central macular thickness (in micrometers), total macular volume (in cubic millimeters), choroidal thickness (in micrometers), and choriocapillaris-equivalent thickness (CCET, in micrometers). Choriocapillaris-equivalent thickness was thinner in healthy participants (9.89 μm; range, 7.15-12.5 μm) compared with patients with intermediate AMD (16.73 μm; range, 10.31-27.38 μm) (P = .02); there was no difference in overall choroidal thickness between the 2 groups (P = .38). There was a 15% CCET reduction among healthy participants when transitioning from a sitting (9.89 μm) to supine (8.4 μm; range, 6.92-10.7 μm) position (P = .02) vs a CCET reduction of 11.1% from sitting (16.73 μm) to supine (14.88 μm; range, 8.76-20.8 μm) positioning (P = .10) in patients with intermediate AMD. Intermediate AMD appears to be associated with an increase in CCET and with a lack of positional responses that are observed in the CCET of normal eyes. Our results suggest that although outer portions of the choroid do not appear to be responsive to modest positional or hydrostatic pressure, the choriocapillaris capacity is, and this is measurable in vivo. Whether this physiologic deviation that occurs in AMD is related to atrophy, inflammation, or changes in autoregulatory factors or growth factors remains to be determined.
Prospective Studies Capillaries - pathology Tomography, Optical Coherence Humans Middle Aged Choroid - blood supply Male Wet Macular Degeneration - physiopathology Healthy Volunteers Posture Aged, 80 and over Female Aged Retina - pathology Fluorescein Angiography

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