Purpose: To examine angiographic risk factors for the recurrence of macular edema associated with branch retinal vein occlusion.Methods: We consecutively included 51 patients with treatment-naive branch retinal vein occlusion involving the macular area. Each eye initially received 3 monthly ranibizumab injections, with additional injections as necessary. At Month 3, we examined parafoveal vessel diameter indexes (VDI) in all sectors using optical coherence tomography angiography and determined the association with retinal thickness changes (Month 3-Month 5) and the number of ranibizumab injections during 12 months.Results: Parafoveal VDIs in the affected, nasal, and temporal sectors at Month 3 were significantly associated with corresponding parafoveal thickening (P = 0.020, 0.010, and ,0.001, respectively), and the parafoveal VDIs in the affected and temporal sectors were significantly associated with future foveal thickening (P = 0.037, and 0.026, respectively). Moreover, the parafoveal VDI in the temporal sector showed a significant association with the total required number of ranibizumab injections (P = 0.040). Conclusion:The parafoveal VDI may adequately represent the degree of congestion associated with branch retinal vein occlusion. Particularly, the VDI in the temporal sector may be a good predictor of future retinal thickening in the corresponding parafovea and the fovea and the number of ranibizumab injections.

We aimed to obtain widefield (WF) swept source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) data and examine the features of choroidal thickness maps in healthy eyes. The posterior pole choroidal thickness was examined in 127 eyes using enhanced depth imaging of SS-OCT with a viewing angle of 20 (vertical) × 23 (horizontal) mm, and choroidal thickness maps were generated. For SS-OCT image analysis, we developed a grid with inner and outer rings, each divided into superotemporal, inferotemporal, superonasal, and inferonasal quadrants, comprising a total of nine subfields, including the central 3-mm ring. The posterior pole choroidal thicknesses were significantly lower at the periphery than in the central area, in the inferior field than in the superior field, and in the nasal field than in the temporal field (p < 0.001 for all). We also evaluated the effects of age and axial length (AL) on the WF choroidal thickness. The choroidal thickness in all subfields was negatively associated with advanced age (p < 0.05). The choroidal thicknesses in the central and inferonasal inner and outer subfields were negatively associated with AL (p = 0.042, 0.034, and 0.022, respectively). These findings provide insights into the two-dimensional characteristics of choroidal thickness and its association with age and AL.

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We aimed to obtain widefield (WF) swept source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) data and examine the features of choroidal thickness maps of healthy eyes. The posterior pole choroidal thickness was examined for 127 eyes using enhanced-depth imaging (EDI) of SS-OCT with a viewing angle of 20 (vertical) × 23 (horizontal) mm, and choroidal thickness maps were generated. For SS-OCT image analysis, we developed a grid with inner and outer rings, each divided into superotemporal, inferotemporal, superonasal, and inferonasal quadrants, respectively, making up a total of nine subfields including the central 3-mm ring. The posterior pole choroidal thicknesses were significantly lesser at the periphery than in the central area, in the inferior field than in the superior field, and in the nasal field than in the temporal field (p < 0.001 for all). We also evaluated the effects of age and axial length (AL) on the WF choroidal thickness. Choroidal thicknesses in all subfields were negatively associated with advanced age (p < 0.05). Choroidal thicknesses in the central subfield and the inferonasal inner and outer subfields were negatively associated with AL (p = 0.042, 0.034, and 0.022, respectively). These findings provide insights into the two-dimensional characteristics of the choroidal thickness and their associations with age and AL.

Citation: Kogo T, Muraoka Y, Iida Y, et al. Angiographic risk features of branch retinal vein occlusion onset as determined by optical coherence tomography angiography. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2020;61(2):8. https://doi.org/10.1167/iovs.61.2.8 PURPOSE.Examine associations between the vasculature at arteriovenous (AV) crossings and the onset of branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO). METHODS.We included 78 patients with major BRVO, 35 patients with macular BRVO, and 110 controls without BRVO and determined the vessel positions at AV crossings, where the first-or second-order branches of the retinal veins associate, using a viewing angle of 12 × 12 mm 2 in optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). RESULTS.We reviewed 1349 and 1276 AV crossings in BRVO patients and control subjects, respectively. The proportions of venous overcrossing were 26.5%, 28.6%, and 26.8% at non-causative crossings in BRVO eyes, non-BRVO fellow eyes, and unaffected control eyes, respectively; however, the rate of venous overcrossings at the causative crossings was 45.1%. In OCTA analyses, we divided the branches into macular-or non-macular veins. The rate of venous overcrossing was 52.5% at causative crossings in major BRVO but was 28.6% in macular BRVO. Odds ratios for whether venous overcrossing was a risk factor for BRVO were 3.09 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.96-4.88) and 0.94 (95% CI, 0.44-2.00) for non-macular veins and macular veins, respectively. The patients with major BRVO caused by venous overcrossing were younger than patients for whom the cause was arterial overcrossing (P < 0.001). The onset of macular BRVO did not differ between crossing patterns at causative crossings (P = 0.60). CONCLUSIONS.In eyes with BRVO, venous overcrossing was a common angiographic feature at causative crossings and might be a risk factor for major BRVO onset.