Morphological Changes in the Foveal Avascular Zone after Panretinal Photocoagulation for Diabetic Retinopathy Using OCTA: A Study Focusing on Macular Ischemia

Abstract

Background and objectives: This study aimed to analyze the morphological changes in the foveal avascular zone (FAZ) after panretinal photocoagulation (PRP) in patients with diabetic retinopathy, with a particular focus on the presence or absence of comorbid diabetic macular ischemia (DMI), using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). Materials and Methods: Treatment-naïve 25 eyes of 16 patients who received PRP were examined in this retrospective case series. FAZ area, perimeter, and circularity were calculated on a 3 × 3-mm en-face OCTA image before PRP (baseline) and 1 and 3 months after PRP. The patients were divided into two groups according to coexisting DMI, and each group was statistically analyzed. Results: In patients with DMI (9 eyes), FAZ area significantly decreased from the baseline to 3 months after PRP (0.86 ± 0.56 to 0.61 ± 0.31 mm2, p = 0.018), whereas FAZ perimeter and circularity remained unchanged following treatment (p = 0.569 and 0.971, respectively). In patients without DMI (16 eyes), FAZ parameters did not show statistically significant changes across the 3-month follow-up period. Conclusion: PRP significantly reduces FAZ area in patients with DMI.