Choroidal Vascular Changes in Multiple Evanescent White Dot Syndrome

ABSTRACT

Purpose: To evaluate choroidal structural changes in patients with multiple evanescent white dot syndrome (MEWDS) during the acute and recovery stages.

Methods: Enhanced-depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT) scans of 16 patients with unilateral MEWDS were acquired during the acute and recovery stages in both eyes. Images were binarized with the ImageJ software to measure subfoveal choroidal thickness (CT), total choroid area, luminal area and choroidal vascularity index (CVI).

Results: In the acute stage, subfoveal CT, total choroidal area and CVI were significantly higher in eyes with MEWDS compared to fellow eyes (371.2 ± 101.8 vs 317.1 ± 90.3 µm, p = .001; 2.826 ± 0.686 vs 2.524 ± 0.674 mm², p = .014; 69.49 ± 3.51 vs 68.27 ± 3.41%, p = .044, respectively). In the recovery stage, subfoveal CT, total choroidal area and CVI in eyes with MEWDS significantly decreased to respectively 333.4 ± 90.5 µm, p = .007, 2.592 ± 0.570 p = .002, and 67.31 ± 2.74%, p = .014.

Conclusions: Choroidal thickness and vascularity are significantly increased during the acute stage of MEWDS.

Keywords:

• Choroidal thickness
• choroidal vascularity index
• enhanced depth imaging
• multiple evanescent white dot syndrome
• optical coherence tomography

Declaration of interest

The authors report no funding or conflict of interest.