Changes in Choroidal Thickness after Hemodialysis and the Influence of Diabetes

Abstract

Purpose:To evaluate the changes in subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) after hemodialysis (HD) and to investigate the possible impact of diabetes mellitus (DM). Methods: This prospective, interventional case series included 18 patients undergoing HD due to chronic renal failure. Mean SFCT was measured before (pre-HD) and after HD (post-HD), and the differences (ΔSFCT) were calculated for each eye. In addition, the ratio of SFCT change (%SFCT; ΔSFCT/baseline SFCT × 100, percent, %) was calculated. Results: Ten patients (55.6%) had DM as the underlying etiology for HD. The mean SFCT was 311.8 ± 64.9 μm (177.5-468.0 μm) pre-HD and 311.2 ± 65.1 μm (191.5-454.5 μm) post-HD (p = 0.877). The mean ΔSFCT was -4.4 ± 20.0 μm (-64.0 to 29.0 μm), and the mean %SFCT was 4.3 ± 4.4% (0 to 19.5%). The mean ΔSFCT was significantly larger in patients with DM than those without DM (-14.1 ± 18.2 μm and 7.8 ± 15.6 μm; p = 0.006), but the mean %SFCT was not significantly different between the groups (4.4 ± 5.5% and 4.2 ± 2.6%; p = 0.315). Conclusions:The mean SFCT was not significantly changed after HD. The change in mean SFCT was significantly larger in patients with DM than in those without.