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The retina provides a window to study the pathophysiology of cerebrovascular diseases. Pathological retinal microvascular changes may reflect microangiopathic processes in the brain. Recent advances in optical imaging techniques have enabled the imaging of the retinal microvasculature at the capillary level, and the generation of high-resolution, non-invasive capillary perfusion maps (nCPMs) with the Retinal Function Imager (RFI). However, the lack of quantitative analyses of the nCPMs may limit the wider application of the method in clinical research. The goal of this project was to demonstrate the feasibility of automated segmentation and fractal analysis of nCPMs. We took two nCPMs of each subject in a group of 6 healthy volunteers and used our segmentation algorithm to do the automated segmentation for monofractal and multifractal analyses. The monofractal dimension was 1.885±0.020, and the multifractal dimension was 1.876±0.010 (P =0.108). The coefficient of repeatability was 0.070 for monofractal analysis and 0.026 for multifractal analysis. This study demonstrated that the automatic segmentation of nCPMs is feasible for fractal analyses. Both monofractal and multifractal analyses yielded similar results. The quantitative analyses of microvasculature at the capillary level may open up a new era for studying microvascular diseases such as cerebral small vessel disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To determine the changes of the microvasculature and microstructure in the inner intra-retinal layers in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients without lupus retinopathy (LR). Thirty-two SLE patients (58 eyes) without LR (NLR), 14 patients (22 eyes) with LR and 50 healthy subjects (50 eyes) were enrolled. Spectral domain optical coherence tomography equipped with Angiovue was used to obtain three-dimensional retinal thickness maps and microvascular images of the superficial and deep retinal capillary plexuses (SRCP/DRCP) around the macula. Quantitative analyses were performed using a custom automated algorithm. Disease activity of patients was assessed using the SLE disease activity index (SLEDAI). Retinal capillary skeleton density of the SRCP in SLE patients without LR was significantly lower than the controls in almost all regions, which further decreased in the LR group (P <.05). No significant changes were evident in DRCP of the NLR group (P >.05). The inner retina in the LR group was significantly thinner than the controls in most regions, though there were only a few regions that were different between the NLR and the control groups (P <.05). There were significant differences of the SLEDAI scores between the two SLE groups. Significantly lower density in SRCP and regional thinning in inner retina were observed in the SLE patients without clinical fundus changes. OCT equipped with Angiovue might be useful in evaluating the microvascular and microstructural disorders of the inner retinal layers in SLE patients, which may contribute a quantitative approach to the early diagnosis and progression of LR. • Retinal microvasculature and microstructure were observed in SLE patients with and without lupus retinopathy. • General SRCP density decreasing and regional inner-retinal thinning were detected in SLE patients without lupus retinopathy. • OCT equipped with Angio may contribute a quantitative approach to the early diagnosis and progression of lupus retinopathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]