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Purpose To assess choroidal inflammation-related circulatory changes associated with the anterior recurrence of Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada ( VKH) disease, using indocyanine green angiography ( ICGA) and laser speckle flowgraphy ( LSFG). Methods This retrospective case series included 17 eyes of 11 patients with VKH disease showing recurrent inflammatory findings in the anterior, but not posterior, segment (i.e. anterior recurrence). Indocyanine green angiography (ICGA) and LSFG were performed at the time of recurrence and one month after the initiation of corticosteroid therapy. The number and total area of hypofluorescent dark dots ( HDDs) on ICGA were independently counted by three physicians and measured with ImageJ, respectively. Mean blur rate ( MBR), a quantitative index of relative blood flow velocity, was calculated via the LSFG Analyzer software. Results Hypofluorescent dark dots (HDDs) were identified on ICGA in 13 of 17 eyes (76%) with the anterior recurrence of VKH disease. The number and total area of HDDs significantly decreased from 203 ± 101 dots to 59 ± 51 dots and from 48 789 ± 24 251 pixels to 15 664 ± 13 254 pixels, respectively. The change ratio of MBR significantly increased by 17.9 ± 16.3% after the treatment. Importantly, there was no significant association between the change ratios of HDDs and MBR. Conclusions These findings on LSFG and ICGA clearly demonstrated subclinical involvement as well as post-treatment improvement of choroidal circulation impairment due to granulomatous inflammation in eyes with the anterior recurrence of VKH disease. The present data suggest the validity of using these two examinations, capable of detecting different circulatory changes, in the management of recurrent VKH disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate the influence of menopausal status and age on peripheral and ocular circulation assessed by means of continuous laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF). Methods: Fifty-three healthy participants were recruited randomly. Twenty-six men and 27 women were divided into two age groups. Choroidal blood flow was measured by LDF and peripheral circulation was measured at the fingertips (digit IV) using the Perimed PeriFlux (Järfälla, Sweden) laser Doppler System 5000. Independent t-test and two-way analysis of variance (anova) were performed. Results: Group distribution was: male / female = 14 / 16 for the younger group and 12 / 11 for the older group. Average age across groups was 31.3 ± 6.8 / 28.4 ± 7.0 years and 66.3 ± 8.3 / 61.5 ± 3.6 years, respectively. Finger and choroidal LDF flow values were significantly different between the two female age groups (p < 0.001 and p = 0.03, respectively). In men this was not the case (p = 0.85 and p = 0.56, respectively). anova interaction p-value for the factors 'age group' and 'gender' for finger LDF flow was p = 0.012, and for choroidal LDF flow p = 0.049, demonstrating significant gender differences with ageing. Conclusion: Menopausal status in women has significant influence on both choroidal and peripheral blood flow; the opposite behaviour occurs with ageing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]