Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify biomarkers at presentation that are associated with a persistent central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) episode.
Methods: The prospective study included 35 patients with an acute CSC episode. Potential clinical and imaging biomarkers were evaluated at baseline and 3 months from the episode onset. As biomarkers age, sex, steroid use, episode recurrence, central retinal thickness (CRT), macular volume (MV), choroidal thickness (CT), pigment epithelial detachment (PED) height, and width, number of retinal hyperreflective foci (HF), leakage pattern, and area of retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) alterations were investigated.
Results: At 3 months from the CSC episode onset, spontaneous resolution occurred in 19 patients, while 16 patients had a persistent CSC episode. The group of patients with a persistent episode was statistically significantly associated with female sex (p = 0.032), older age (p = 0.015), wider PED (p = 0.005), and higher number of HF (p = 0.02). Moreover, this group of patients had a significant association with thinner choroid and diffuse RPE alterations as a pair (p = 0.008).
Conclusions: Older and female CSC patients with wider PED, increased number of HF, thinner choroid, and diffuse RPE alterations at presentation are inclined to episode persistence and could benefit from earlier treatment.
Keywords: CSC; CSR; PED.; age; biomarkers; central serous chorioretinopathy; choroid; hyperreflective foci; persistent episode; sex.