Purpose: To evaluate the choroidal vascularity index of eyes for acute and chronic central serous chorioretinopathy patients using swept-source optical coherence tomography generated en-face scans.
Methods: This was a retrospective study, in which slabs of en-face optical coherence tomography scans, at 5 μm intervals, spanning from the retina to choroid, were binarized using a validated algorithm to calculate choroidal vascularity index. The choroidal vascularity index was defined as the ratio between the choroidal vascular luminal area and the total choroidal area. Choroidal vascularity index was calculated for all the slabs of every subject in both the groups.
Results: A total of 30 eyes for each acute and chronic central serous chorioretinopathy groups were recruited. The mean choroidal vascularity index of the acute group was 45.21% ± 2.25% at the choriocapillaris, which increased to the maximal value of 48.35% ± 2.06% at 75% depth of the choroidal thickness and 45.31% ± 3.27% at the choroidoscleral interface; whereas for the chronic group, the mean choroidal vascularity index was 44.76% ± 2.60% at the choriocapillaris, which maximized at 50% choroidal depth (48.70% ± 1.32%) and then returned to 45.41% ± 6.02% at the choroidoscleral interface.
Conclusion: For both groups, the choroidal vascularity index increased from choriocapillaris to maximum values at mid-choroid and returned to almost the choriocapillaris value at the choroidoscleral interface.
Keywords: Central serous chorioretinopathy; choroidal dystrophies; choroidal ischemia; choroidal neovascular membranes; choroidal/retinal inflammation; retina; uvea.