Assessment of the retinal vasculature in healthy Chinese preschool children aged 4–6 years old using optical coherence tomography angiography

Abstract

Purpose To establish normal parameters of macular and optic disc vasculature by optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) in healthy preschool children aged 4–6 years old in China. OCTA reflects retinal metabolism and development in children at these ages and could be used clinically and in future studies to aid diagnosis and prediction of retinal abnormalities and developmental stagnation. Methods In this cross-sectional study, we measured foveal, parafoveal, and perifoveal vessel density in the superficial capillary plexus (SCP); the deep capillary plexus (DCP), the foveal avascular zone (FAZ), and the radial capillary peripapillary (RPC) in the optic disc using investigational spectral-domain OCTA. The magnification effect of the FAZ area and microvasculature measurements was corrected by Littman and the modified Bennett formula. Results A total of 242 eyes (116 males and 126 females, 5.31 ± 0.73 years) were recruited for the analysis. The mean macular vessel density was 48.10 ± 2.92% and 48.74 ± 6.51% in the SCP and the DCP, respectively. The RPC vessel density was 47.17 ± 2.52%, 47.99 ± 4.48%, and 48.41 ± 3.07% in the whole image, inside disc, and peripapillary, respectively; and the mean FAZ area was 0.28 ± 0.11 mm2. A significant difference between male and female participants was found in the retinal vasculature (DCP, SCP, and RPC). None of these parameters were significantly different in age (P > 0.05), except that DCP slightly increased with aging. The right and left eyes had good consistency in the parameters of the macula and optic disc. Conclusions Our study establishes the macular and optic disc OCTA reference values in 4- to 6-year-old healthy preschool children. They may be used in longitudinal OCTA studies and clinical applications.

The characteristics of dome-shaped macula in Chinese children aged 4–6 years using optical coherence tomography angiography

“…1 ). In addition, we have assessed the anterior segment and retinal parameters of healthy Chinese preschool children aged 4–6 years in a previous study [ 26 ], also called normal group. All these children underwent a comprehensive ophthalmic examination, including slit-lamp biomicroscopy, measurement of best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), autorefraction, non-contact intraocular pressure, and optical biometry scans (axial length, anterior chamber depth, central corneal thickness, and crystalline lens thickness).…”

Optical Coherence Tomography and Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography in Pediatric Retinal Diseases

“…The exact mechanism of this finding is still unclear but gender differences in central retinal thicknesses and the spherical equivalent may play a role [ 29 ]. In a more recent study by Xiang et al, higher vessel densities in the SCP, DCP and radial capillary peripapillary (RPC) in boys were observed in preschool children aged 4–6 years old [ 30 ], which may be explained by increased serum insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) in males that are 4–6 years old.…”

“…Cheung et al also found that an enlarged FAZ area on OCTA was associated with decreased axial length, which the authors hypothesized to be due to increased circulatory efficiency [ 13 ]. Positive correlations between the axial length and the SCP, DCP and RPC were noted in 4–6-year-old preschool children during the emmetropization process [ 30 ]. A shorter axial length was also related to lower vessel densities on OCTA images [ 13 ], and similar findings were found for children with amblyopia [ 33 , 34 ].…”