Analysis of Microvasculature in Children Recovered from COVID-19 Using Swept-Source OCT/OCTA Technology

ABSTRACT

Purpose

To analyze structural and vascular changes of the retina and choroid in pediatric patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) using optical coherence tomography (OCT)/OCT angiography (OCTA).

Methods

This comparative cross-sectional study consists of the COVID-19 group including pediatric COVID-19 patients and the control group including healthy children. Vessel density (VD), central macular thickness,, and choroidal thickness (ChT) measurements were performed using swept-source OCT/OCTA 12 weeks after the recovery from COVID-19.  

Results

The mean VD measurements in the central fovea and nasal quadrants of all three retinal layers and choriocapillaris showed insignificantly lower values in the COVID-19 group when compared to the control group (0:002 < p < 0:05 for all). Similar to VD measurements, insignificant lower ChT measurements were obtained in the central fovea and nasal points in the COVID-19 group.

Conclusion

OCTA can be used as a non-invasive and valid biomarker in the assessment of early microvascular dysfunction associated with COVID-19.

KEYWORDS:

• Choriocapillaris
• Choroidal thickness
• pediatric COVID-19
• swept-source OCT/OCTA
• vessel density

Acknowledgments

All authors declared no potential conflicts of interest.

Author contributions

The authors had no contributions to the publication of the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Statement of ethics

The study was conducted based on the principles of the Helsinki Declaration. The study was approved by the medical ethics committee. Signed informed consent was obtained from all participants.

Additional information

Funding

The authors reported that there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.