Quantification of vascular changes in macular telangiectasia type 2 with AngioTool software

Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2024 Apr 27. doi: 10.1007/s00417-024-06487-w. Online ahead of print.

Abstract

Purpose: To compare AngioTool (AT) vascular parameters (VP) between MacTel2 eyes and normal eyes. Secondary outcome measures were to correlate VP with BCVA and to analyze VP between various grades of Simple MacTel Classification.

Methods: This is a retrospective study. SD OCTA images of the superficial vascular complex (SVC) and deep capillary complex (DVC) were exported into Image J and AT. The explant area (EA), vessel area (VA), vessel percentage area (VPA), total number of junctions (TNJ), junction density (JD), total vessel length (TVL), average vessel length (AVL), total number of endpoints (TNE) and mean E lacunarity (MEL) were studied.

Results: Group 1 had 120 MacTel2 eyes. Group 2 had 60 age-matched normal eyes. All VP were significantly different between the two groups except EA and TNE in both complexes. None of the VP had a correlation with BCVA. Interquadrant analysis (IQA) in SVC and DVC showed statistical significance in VPA, AVL and JD and in AVL, TNE, JD, VPA respectively. Post hoc analysis in SVC and DVC showed statistical significance in TNJ, JD, TVL and AVL between grade 1 and grade 3, and in VA, VPA, TNJ, JD, TVL and MEL between grade 0 and grade 3 respectively.

Conclusion: VP were affected in MacTel2 eyes. VP did not correlate with BCVA. Occurrence of pigmentation is an important event in the progression of disease. AT may provide quantitative markers to measure disease progression.

Keywords: Angiotool; ImageJ; MacTel2; Retinal vascular parameters.