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Purpose: The local growth rates of geographic atrophy (GA) adjacent to non-exudative type 1 macular neovascularization (MNV) were investigated to determine if MNV influenced GA growth., Methods: Eyes with GA and non-exudative type 1 MNV were followed for at least 1 year. Both GA and the MNV were imaged and measured using swept-source optical coherence tomography angiography (SS-OCTA) scans. Pearson correlations were computed between local growth rates of GA, which were estimated using a biophysical GA growth model, and local distances-to-MNV. Corresponding P values for the null hypothesis of no Pearson correlation were computed using a Monte Carlo approach that adjusts for spatial autocorrelations., Results: Nine eyes were included in this study. There were positive correlations (Pearson's r > 0) between distance-to-MNV and local GA growth in eight (89%) of the eyes; however, in all but one eye (11%), correlations were relatively weak and statistically nonsignificant after Bonferroni correction (corrected P > 0.05)., Conclusions: SS-OCTA imaging combined with GA growth modeling and spatial statistical analysis enabled quantitative assessment of correlations between local GA growth rates and local distances-to-MNV. Our results are not consistent with non-exudative type 1 MNV having a strong inhibitory effect on local GA growth rates.

Purpose: To evaluate the prognostic significance of persistent choroidal hypertransmission defects (HyperTDs) detected on en face OCT imaging for predicting the progression of drusen to geographic atrophy (GA) by analyzing their association with the presence of nascent GA (nGA)., Design: Retrospective, post hoc subgroup analysis of a prospective study., Participants: Patients with bilateral soft drusen from a natural history study., Methods: Participants underwent both Spectralis SD-OCT (Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany) and Cirrus SD-OCT (Carl Zeiss Meditec, Dublin, CA) imaging over 36 months at 6-month intervals. The Spectralis SD-OCT B-scans were used to grade nGA. En face imaging of Cirrus SD-OCT scans was used to detect HyperTDs, masked to nGA gradings. Hypertransmission defects with greatest linear dimension (GLD) of 125 μm or more were tracked throughout visits., Main Outcome Measures: The GLD at baseline for best discrimination between persistent and transient HyperTDs over 36 months and the association between these HyperTDs with nGA assessed with odds ratio., Results: A total of 157 eyes from 81 patients were enrolled. Cirrus SD-OCT scans were available for 133 eyes at baseline, and 39 HyperTDs lesions from 27 eyes of 22 participants were classified as either persistent (26 lesions) or transient (13 lesions) over 36 months. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis suggested that HyperTDs with baseline GLD of 250 μm or more or 300 μm fit the definition of persistent. After grading the entire population of 157 eyes, a significant association (P < 0.001) was found between nGA gradings and masked HyperTD gradings with GLD of 250 μm or more (odds ratio, 14.5; 95% confidence interval, 4.8-54.0) or 300 μm (odds ratio, 15.2; 95% confidence interval, 5.0-56.7). Identification of HyperTDs was associated with more nGA false-positive results than false-negative results (P < 0.001). Hypertransmission defects with GLD of 250 μm or more or 300 μm showed excellent negative predictive value of 94% or more, but poor positive predictive value of 40% or less, for detecting nGA., Conclusions: Choroidal HyperTDs on en face OCT imaging were associated strongly with nGA. The potential of using HyperTDs with GLD of 250 μm or more or 300 μm as a risk factor for the progression of drusen to GA is promising and requires further study., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Purpose: To introduce a novel method for assessment of retinal vasculitis using swept-source OCT angiography (SS-OCTA)., Design: Retrospective case series., Participants: Patients with retinal vasculitis., Methods: The subjects were identified among the clinic population and imaged with 12 × 12-mm SS-OCTA scans centered on the fovea. A custom retina segmentation superimposed the color retinal thickness map on a modified en face flow scan. Findings from en face flow scans were correlated with localized perivascular retinal thickening on B-scans. Results from SS-OCTA were compared with fluorescein angiography (FA) to examine the proportion of perivascular thickening to retinal vascular leakage or staining., Results: Twenty-one patients with retinal vasculitis underwent same-day FA and SS-OCTA. Visible retinal vascular leakage/staining on FA corresponded to increased perivascular retinal thickness on SS-OCTA in 17 patients. Five patients had a second examination with same-day FA and SS-OCTA after treatment of the vasculitis. Three of those 5 patients showed improved retinal vascular leakage/staining on post-treatment FA and decreased perivascular retinal thickness on SS-OCTA scans., Conclusions: Swept-source OCT angiography detects structural retinal thickening secondary to inflammatory retinal vascular leakage. Further studies are required to confirm whether SS-OCTA may serve as a semiquantitative alternative to FA to diagnose and monitor the response to treatment in patients with retinal vasculitis., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Purpose: Wide-field (WF) swept-source (SS) optical coherence tomography angiography (SS-OCTA) was used to image diabetic tractional retinal detachments (TRDs) before and after pars plana vitrectomy. The clinical utility of SS-OCTA was assessed., Methods: Patients with diabetic TRDs were imaged prospectively with SS-OCTA. Ultrawide-field imaging was obtained when possible. Postoperative WF SS-OCTA imaging was performed., Results: From January 2018 through December 2019, 31 eyes of 21 patients with diabetic TRDs were imaged. Wide-field SS-OCTA en-face images captured all areas of TRD and fibrovascular proliferation within the posterior pole that were visualized on ultrawide-field imaging. Optical coherence tomography angiography B-scans revealed the vascularity of preretinal membranes and identified areas of vitreoretinal traction and posterior vitreous detachment. Ten eyes underwent pars plana vitrectomy. Postoperative SS-OCTA imaging demonstrated removal of fibrovascular membranes, relief of traction, and resolution of TRDs. Retinal ischemia before and after surgical repair appeared similar., Conclusion: All clinically relevant features of diabetic TRDs were identified at baseline and assessed longitudinally after pars plana vitrectomy using WF SS-OCTA, which showed resolution of vitreoretinal traction and no apparent change in the status of retinal perfusion after surgery. If the media are clear and fixation is adequate, WF SS-OCTA is likely the only imaging modality needed for the diagnosis and longitudinal evaluation of diabetic TRDs.

Purpose: We compared the ability of ophthalmologists to identify neovascularization (NV) in patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy using swept-source optical coherence tomography angiography (SS-OCTA) and fluorescein angiography (FA)., Design: Retrospective study comparing diagnostic instruments., Methods: Eyes with proliferative diabetic retinopathy or severe nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy and a high suspicion of NV based on clinical examination were imaged using SS-OCTA and FA at the same visit. Two separate grading sets consisting of scrambled, anonymized SS-OCTA and FA images were created. The ground truth for presence of NV was established by consensus of 2 graders with OCTA experience who did not participate in the subsequent assessment of NV in this study. The 2 anonymized image sets were graded for presence or absence of NV by 12 other graders that included 2 residents, 6 vitreoretinal fellows, and 4 vitreoretinal attending physicians. The percentage of correct grading of NV using SS-OCTA and FA was assessed for each grader and across grader training levels., Results: Forty-seven eyes from 24 patients were included in this study. Overall, the mean percentage of correct NV grading was 87.8% using SS-OCTA with B-scans and 86.2% using FA (P = .92). Assessing each grader individually, there was no statistically significant asymmetry in correct grading using SS-OCTA and FA., Conclusions: Ophthalmologists across training levels were able to identify diabetic NV with equal accuracy using SS-OCTA and FA. Based on these results, SS-OCTA may be an appropriate standalone modality for diagnosing diabetic NV., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: The hallmark of proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) is retinal neovascularization. Tortuous intraretinal vascular segments known as intraretinal microvascular abnormalities (IRMAs) are a known risk factor for neovascularization (NV), but whether IRMA represents a biomarker or a vascular precursor lesion to NV has not been demonstrated. The purpose of this study was to determine whether IRMA may evolve directly into NV., Design: Retrospective analysis of prospective, observational case series., Participants: Patients with treatment-naïve PDR., Methods: Patients were imaged longitudinally with fluorescein angiography (FA) and swept-source (SS) OCT angiography (OCTA) before and after panretinal photocoagulation (PRP)., Main Outcome Measures: Presence and colocalization of IRMA and NV on serial FA and SS OCTA., Results: Two PDR patients showed multiple NV and IRMA lesions at baseline examination. Three months after PRP, FA demonstrated profuse leakage from 3 new NV lesions in one patient and 1 new NV lesion in another patient. Multimodal imaging showed that these 4 lesions were IRMAs at baseline. Swept-source OCTA performed before PRP and 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months after PRP confirmed that the precursor IRMA lesions were intraretinal tortuous vascular lesions at baseline and that they developed into preretinal NV with contiguous intraretinal components. NV was found to develop and adhere to the posterior hyaloid even in areas of pre-existing hyaloidal detachment., Conclusions: Diabetic retinal NV can develop from IRMA. Early identification of IRMAs may be an accurate means of predicting progression to PDR, and frequent monitoring of IRMAs with SS OCTA may facilitate early diagnosis of PDR., (Copyright © 2020 American Academy of Ophthalmology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: A compensation strategy that was developed to measure the choriocapillaris (CC) flow deficits (FDs) under drusen was tested in eyes with large drusen from age-related macular degeneration (AMD) before and after the drusen spontaneously resolved without evidence of disease progression., Design: Prospective, observational consecutive case series., Methods: Patients with AMD were enrolled in a prospective swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) imaging study. Consecutive eyes with large drusen were followed, and eyes that underwent spontaneous collapse of drusen without evidence of disease progression were identified retrospectively. The drusen-resolved regions were manually outlined. CC FDs were measured using a previously published compensation strategy that adjusted for the decreased signal intensity underlying drusen. Both the percentage of FDs (FD%) and the mean FD sizes (MFDSs) were measured before and after drusen resolution., Results: Resolution of drusen was identified in 8 eyes from 8 patients. The average interval between the 2 visits was 7.8 months. The average drusen volumes measured between visits were 0.23 and 0.04 mm 3 , respectively. After the drusen resolved, the average follow-up time without evidence of disease progression was 10.1 months. When the 2 visits were compared, there were no statistically significant differences in any of the CC parameters within the drusen resolved regions once the compensation strategy was applied (all P values >.22)., Conclusions: In this naturally occurring experiment in which drusen collapsed without evidence of disease progression, the CC parameters were similar once our compensation strategy was applied both before and after the drusen resolved., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: Widefield swept source optical coherence tomography angiography (WF SS-OCTA) imaging was compared with ultra-widefield (UWF) fluorescein angiography (FA) imaging to better understand changes in retinal nonperfusion before and after panretinal photocoagulation (PRP) in treatment-naïve eyes with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR)., Design: Prospective, observational, consecutive case series., Methods: Participants with treatment-naïve PDR were imaged using the SS-OCTA 12- × 12-mm scan pattern at baseline and at 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months after PRP. UWF FA was obtained at baseline and 3 months after PRP. Selected eyes were imaged using 5 SS-OCTA 12- × 12-mm scans to create a posterior pole montage, and 5 eyes also underwent SS-OCTA imaging at 6 months and 1 year. Areas of retinal nonperfusion (RNP) were drawn independently by 2 masked graders, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) tests were used to compare areas of RNP over time. Main outcome measurements consisted of areas and boundaries of RNP visualized using WF SS-OCTA and UWF FA., Results: From January 2018 through January 2019, WF SS-OCTA was performed on 20 eyes with treatment-naïve PDR from 15 patients. Areas of RNP identified on UWF FA images co-localized with RNP areas visualized on WF SS-OCTA images. There were no statistically significant changes in RNP area on WF SS-OCTA images through 3 months after PRP. Even eyes that were severely ischemic at baseline had no significant changes in RNP area 1 year after PRP., Conclusions: RNP in PDR can be identified at baseline and imaged serially after PRP using WF SS-OCTA. Retinal perfusion in PDR does not change significantly after PRP. The ability of WF SS-OCTA to longitudinally evaluate RNP areas provides additional justification for adopting WF SS-OCTA as the sole imaging modality for clinical management of PDR., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: Areas of neovascularization (NV) in proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) on ultra-widefield (UWF) fluorescein angiography (FA) were identified and compared with a simulated widefield (WF) swept-source OCT angiography (SS-OCTA) field of view to determine whether the WF SS-OCTA field of view was sufficient for detection of NV in PDR., Design: Retrospective, consecutive case series., Methods: All patients with PDR and UWF FA imaging at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute over a period of 5.5 years were identified. UWF FA images were reviewed and sites of NV were identified either as NV of the disc or NV elsewhere. Sites of NV elsewhere were classified by disc-centered retinal quadrants. A simulated WF SS-OCTA montage field of view was overlaid on the UWF FA images to determine whether sites of NV would have been identified by this simulated WF SS-OCTA field of view., Results: A total of 651 eyes with PDR from 433 patients had at least 1 UWF FA with NV. Of the 651 eyes, 50% were treatment-naïve, 9.8% had NV of the disc only, 41.8% had NV elsewhere only, and 48.4% had both NV of the disc and NV elsewhere. NV elsewhere was most prevalent in the superotemporal quadrant and the least prevalent in the nasal quadrants. When the simulated WF SS-OCTA field of view was overlaid on the UWF FA, 98.3% of all eyes, 99.4% of treatment-naive eyes, and 97.2% of previously treated eyes had NV within the WF SS-OCTA field of view. In those eyes with a repeat UWF FA within 6 to 18 months of the first FA, the distribution of NV did not change in either the treatment-naive or previously treated eyes., Conclusions: NV elsewhere in PDR was most prevalent superotemporally, and 99.4% of treatment-naïve eyes had NV within the simulated WF SS-OCTA field of view. Combined with previous research using WF SS-OCTA to identify NV in PDR, these findings suggest that WF SS-OCTA may be the only imaging modality needed for the diagnosis and longitudinal management of PDR., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background and Objective: To demonstrate the utility of widefield swept-source optical coherence tomography angiography (SS-OCTA) for the diagnosis and management of proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR)., Patients and Methods: Consecutive patients with vision-threatening diabetic retinopathy were imaged with widefield SS-OCTA using the 12 mm × 12 mm scan pattern., Results: Twenty-four eyes of 12 patients underwent SS-OCTA imaging. In all 24 eyes, the en face total retinal flow images detected areas of decreased retinal perfusion, and the en face vitreoretinal interface (VRI) slabs detected foci of retinal neovascularization (NV). NV was treated and followed using the VRI images., Conclusions: Widefield SS-OCTA is a useful, noninvasive technology for the detection and monitoring of NV in PDR. Features of interest, such as areas of decreased retinal perfusion, increased retinal thickness, and NV, can be identified from different en face slabs extracted from a single 12 mm × 12 mm scan. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 2019;50:474-484.]., (Copyright 2019, SLACK Incorporated.)

Purpose: To determine the possible correlation between the annual enlargement rates (ERs) of geographic atrophy (GA) with the percentage and size of the choriocapillaris (CC) flow deficits (FDs) surrounding GA, measured with swept-source OCT angiography (SS-OCTA) images., Design: Prospective, observational case series., Participants: Patients with GA secondary to nonexudative AMD., Methods: Patients were imaged with a 100-kHz SS-OCTA instrument (PLEX Elite 9000, Carl Zeiss Meditec, Dublin, CA) using a 6×6-mm field of view scan pattern. The GA area measurements were obtained from en face SS-OCT sub-retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) slab images. Visualization of the CC and quantification of FDs were performed using a previously published validated algorithm based on a 20-μm thickness slab with the inner boundary located beneath Bruch's membrane. The percentage of CC FDs (FD%) and the average FD area measurements were calculated in different regions around the GA., Main Outcome Measures: The correlation between the CC FDs and the ERs of GA., Results: Twenty-two eyes from 15 patients were eligible for the analysis. The annual square root ERs for GA ranged from 0.07 to 0.75 mm/year. The CC FD% and average FD area measurements were highly correlated with each other (P < 0.001), with the highest FD values found in the region closest to the margin of GA. The ERs correlated best with the average CC FD area measurements in the total scan area minus the area of GA (Pearson r = 0.747; P < 0.001) than those in the regions immediately surrounding the GA (r = 0.544; P = 0.009)., Conclusions: Contrary to expectations, the global CC FD measurements had a better correlation with the ERs of GA than those in the regions immediately around the GA. The most likely explanation for this outcome is that normal age-related increases in FDs within the central macula confound the correlations between the ERs of GA and FDs, whereas the regions furthest away from the margins of GA are less affected by normal age-related changes and reflect FD alterations related to AMD severity., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Purpose: Wide-field swept-source (SS) OCT angiography (OCTA) was compared with ultrawide-field (UWF) fluorescein angiography (FA) for evaluating neovascularization (NV) before and after panretinal photocoagulation (PRP) in eyes with treatment-naive proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR)., Design: Prospective, observational, consecutive case series., Participants: Patients with treatment-naive PDR., Methods: Patients were imaged using the SS OCTA 12 × 12-mm field of view (PLEX Elite 9000; Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc, Dublin, CA) at baseline and at 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months after PRP. Select eyes were imaged with 5 SS OCTA 12 × 12-mm scans to create posterior pole montages. Ultrawide-field fundus photography and UWF FA were obtained at baseline and 3 months after PRP., Main Outcome Measures: Neovascularization visualized using wide-field SS OCTA and UWF FA., Results: From January through May 2018, wide-field SS OCTA was performed on 20 eyes with treatment-naive PDR from 15 patients. The en face SS OCTA 12 × 12-mm vitreoretinal interface (VRI) slab images showed NV at baseline in 18 of 20 eyes (90%). Of the remaining 2 eyes, the posterior pole montage captured peripheral NV in one eye, and in the other eye, no evidence of NV was detected with either UWF FA or SS OCTA. After PRP, both SS OCTA and FA demonstrated similar progression or regression of NV, but SS OCTA provided more detailed visualization of the vascular changes., Conclusions: Neovascularization in PDR can be identified at baseline and imaged serially after PRP using wide-field SS OCTA. In patients with a high clinical suspicion for PDR, wide-field SS OCTA likely will be the only imaging method needed for diagnosis and longitudinal evaluation of NV., (Copyright © 2018 American Academy of Ophthalmology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background and Objective: Swept-source optical coherence tomography angiography (SS-OCTA) and different boundary-specific segmentation strategies were used to distinguish type 1 macular neovascularization (MNV) from type 2 MNV in eyes with exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD)., Patients and Methods: Eyes with exudative AMD were enrolled in a prospective study. Segmentation strategies included a slab from the outer retina (OR) to the choriocapillaris (CC) for the entire MNV, a slab from the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) to the CC for the type 1 MNV, and a slab from the OR to the RPE for the type 2 MNV., Results: In 13 eyes, SS-OCTA B-scans and en face images using different segmentation strategies were able to identify type 1 and type 2 components of the MNV., Conclusion: In eyes with exudative AMD, SS-OCTA imaging and commercially available boundary-specific segmentation strategies were used to distinguish between type 1 and type 2 MNV. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 2018;49:878-886.]., (Copyright 2018, SLACK Incorporated.)

Background: The goal of the present study was to analyze the macular microvacular network in mild cognitive impirment (MCI) and Alzheimer disease (AD)., Methods: Twelve patients with AD and 19 patients with MCI were recruited together with 21 cognitively normal controls with a similar range of ages. Optical coherence tomography angiography was used to image the retinal microvascular network at the macular region, including retinal vascular network (RVN), superficial vascular plexus (SVP), and deep vascular plexus (DVP). Fractal analysis (box counting, Dbox) representing the microvascular density was performed in different annular zones and quadrantal sectors. The macular ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (GC-IPL) thickness was measured using Zeiss OCT. The relationship between the retinal microvasculature and clinical manifestations was analyzed., Results: Patients with AD had lower densities of RVN, SVP, and DVP in the annulus, from 0.6 to 2.5 mm in diameter (P < 0.05) in comparison with controls. Patients with MCI had lower density of DVP in the superior nasal quadrant (P < 0.05) than that of the controls. There were no significant differences of GC-IPL thickness among groups (P > 0.05). There was a trend of vascular density loss from control to MCI then AD (P < 0.05). Retinal microvascular density of DVP was correlated with GC-IPL thickness (P < 0.05) in patients with AD, but not in patients with MCI and controls., Conclusions: Patients with AD had less density of retinal microvascular networks than controls. Our findings suggest the presence of retinal microvascular dysfunction in AD.