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Evaluating diurnal changes in choroidal sublayer perfusion using optical coherence tomography angiography
Author(s) -
Siegfried Fynn,
Rommel Felix,
Rothe Matthias,
Brinkmann Max P.,
Sochurek Jan A. M.,
Freitag Josephine,
Grisanti Salvatore,
Ranjbar Mahdy
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
acta ophthalmologica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.534
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1755-3768
pISSN - 1755-375X
DOI - 10.1111/aos.14140
Subject(s) - morning , medicine , evening , diurnal temperature variation , optical coherence tomography , perfusion , ophthalmology , nuclear medicine , cardiology , meteorology , physics , astronomy
Purpose To investigate diurnal changes of choroidal sublayer perfusion in normal eyes and to identify influencing factors using optical coherence tomography angiography ( OCTA ). Methods A prospective study was conducted on healthy volunteers, each of whom underwent repeated measurements of subfoveal choroidal thickness ( SFCT ) via enhanced depth imaging ( EDI ) optical coherence tomography ( OCT ) as well as perfusion of choroidal vascular sublayers using OCTA at 7 a.m., 12 p.m., 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Possible interactions between diurnal variations and other factors, such as mean arterial pressure ( MAP ), gender and age, were evaluated. Results A total of 22 eyes from 22 participants were analysed. Mean age of participants was 56 years. A significant pattern of diurnal variation was observed for SFCT (p < 0.001) as well as perfusion of Sattler's layer ( SLP ; p = 0.009) and Haller's layer ( HLP ; p = 0.003). SFCT demonstrated a linear decrease, being thicker in the morning (348 μ m) and thinner in the evening (310 μ m). Both, SLP and HLP showed a quadratic relation to time of day, increasing from morning (64% and 76%) to afternoon (66% and 77%), before decreasing again in the evening (64% and 76%). HLP changes were significantly associated with fluctuations of MAP (B = 0.0007; CI 0.0001–0.0014; p = 0.047). No significant differences with regard to gender were detectable. However, older participants (≥60 years) had fewer diurnal changes (p = 0.042). Conclusion Optical coherence tomography angiography‐based analysis of choroidal sublayer perfusion demonstrated significant diurnal variations. Therefore, it is important to account for time of day, when comparing longitudinal OCTA data.