Photo Credit: Zarina Lukash
The following is a summary of “Vascular changes of the peripapillary choroidal area in the thyroid orbitopathy,” published in the July 2024 issue of Ophthalmology by Unlu et al.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study exploring the changes in peripapillary choroidal vasculature associated with thyroid orbitopathy (TO).
They examined 50 eyes from 25 patients with active TO (aTO) or inactive TO (inaTO) and 30 eyes from 30 HCs. Choroidal blood vessel characteristics in the peripapillary region were evaluated using indices such as peripapillary choroidal vascular index (pCVI), peripapillary choroidal luminal area (pLA), peripapillary choroidal stromal area (pSA), peripapillary total choroidal area (pTCA).
The result showed that both the aTO and inaTO groups showed a reduction in pCVI in the nasal (aTO vs. control: P=0.001; inaTO vs. control: P=0.007) and temporal regions (aTO vs. control: P=0.004; inaTO vs. control: P<0.001) in comparison to the control group. A significant decrease in the inferior area was observed only in the inaTO group (P=0.001). The inaTO group, when compared to the other groups, demonstrated a reduction in pSA (vs. aTO: total P=0.004, inferior P=0.02; vs. control: total P= 0.01, inferior P=0.03), pLA (vs. aTO: total P=0.02, inferior P=0.02, temporal P<0.001; vs. control: total P=0.002, inferior P<0.001, temporal P<0.001), and pTCA (vs. aTO: total P= 0.009, inferior P=0.01, temporal P<0.001; vs. control: total P=0.003, inferior P=0.001, temporal P<0.001).
Investigators concluded that in patients with TO, the horizontal peripapillary choroidal vascular structure may be more sensitive, with the inferior quadrant being the first affected, and structural or vascular choroidal changes may occur in the chronic or post-active phase.
Source: link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10792-024-03111-y
