Evaulating peripapillary vessel density ın regressed papilledema ın ıdiopathic ıntracranial hypertension patients

• Published in: Photodiagnosis and photodynamic therapy Vol. 36; p. 102551
• Main Authors: Kaya, Fatma Selin, Sonbahar, Ozan, Açar, Pınar Akarsu, Özbaş, Mehmet, Yigit, Fadime Ulviye
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01-12-2021
• Subjects: Humans; Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension; Nerve Fibers; Optical Coherens Angiography; Papilledema; Peripapillary vascular density; Photochemotherapy - methods; Photosensitizing Agents; Pseudotumor Cerebri - complications; Retinal Ganglion Cells; Tomography, Optical Coherence; Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension; Optical Coherens Angiography; Papilledema; Peripapillary vascular density
• ISSN: 1572-1000; 1873-1597
• DOI: 10.1016/j.pdpdt.2021.102551

•IIH patients had a significantly increased vessel density on OCT-A in the inferior and nasal regions after the resolution of the papilledema (grade 1 or 0 papilledema) compared with the healthy participants, despite the normal RNLF and GCC measurements.•Inferior and nasal parts of the optic nerve head might be the most vulnerable part to increased intracranial pressure.•OCT-A derived vessel density measurement may provide insights into the effects of increased intracranial pressure on the ocular vasculature regarding pathophysiology, treatment, and monitoring.
To evaluate the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness, the ganglion cell complex (GCC) and vessel density of the radial peripapillary capillary (RPC) plexus of eyes with regressed papilledema in idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) patients using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A) and comparing the results with healthy controls.
Fifty-one eyes of 31 patients diagnosed with IIH and 52 eyes of 52 healthy subjects were enrolled in this study. All patients underwent a complete ophthalmological examination and a 4.5 × 4.5 mm peripapillary OCT-A scanning. The quantitative results of the peripapillary RNFL and GCC thicknesses and vessel density of the RPC were analyzed.
The vessel density in the inferior, superior nasal, and inferior nasal sectors of the patients with IIH significantly exceeded the vessel density of the healthy controls (P = 0.008, P = 0.008, and P = 0.000, respectively). The RNFL and GCC thickness measurements were comparable in both groups.
Patients with IIH show vascular abnormalities in the inferior nasal region, which can be detected with OCT-A. As a noninvasive imaging modality, OCT-A could provide a new perspective for understanding the pathophysiology of IIH and could also be useful in the follow-up of these patients.