Choroidal structural evaluation in celiac disease

Abstract

This observational case–control study assessed the differences in choroidal structure between patients with celiac disease and healthy subjects utilizing the choroidal vascularity index (CVI). Seventy-four celiac patients and 67 healthy subjects underwent a complete ophthalmological evaluation, axial length (AL) measurements and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography with enhanced depth imaging mode (EDI SD-OCT) evaluation. These images were binarized and choroidal vasculature was analyzed. Choroidal total subfoveal area (TSA), luminal subfoveal area (LSA), stromal subfoveal area (SSA), CVI and subfoveal choroidal thickness (CT) were measured. Furthermore, subfoveal CT, TSA, LSA, SSA, and CVI were also correlated with AL. A statistically significant difference was found between the two groups for TSA, LSA, SSA and subfoveal CT, but not for CVI. In celiac patients, a significant correlation was found between AL and TSA, LSA and SSA, but not with CVI. Similar findings were also noticed in the healthy subjects. Thus, celiac patients have a thicker choroid than healthy subjects, regardless of the AL, due to a proportional increase in both the vascular and stromal components, which does not alter the CVI.

Letter to the editor: Acute effects of coffee on peripapillary and subfoveal choroidal parameters in young healthy subjects

“…Since then, CVI has been largely used for such a purpose in the international literature. 3 This technique in our opinion has a limitation because it can be influenced by the so-called blooming effect.…”

Optical Coherence Tomography Analysis of Retinal Layers in Celiac Disease

“…In fact, the choroid of celiac patients appears thicker than healthy controls [ 8 , 9 ]. In particular, De Bernardo et al [ 9 ] not only confirmed a thicker choroid in celiac patients [ 8 ], but analyzing the choroidal vascularity index in these patients, found no statistical differences between celiac patients and healthy controls. However, celiac patients showed all the choroidal areas to be larger in a significant way than the healthy group.…”

“…However, celiac patients showed all the choroidal areas to be larger in a significant way than the healthy group. Thus, De Bernardo et al supposed a proportional increase in both the vascular and stromal components, that may be linked to the inflammatory and autoimmune responses related to celiac disease pathophysiology [ 9 ]. On the other hand, anterior eye segment changes due to celiac disease are still unclear [ 10 , 11 , 12 ].…”

Editorial: Optical coherence tomography and OCT angiography examination in systemic diseases

“…In fact, several studies have been published dealing with the use of these diagnostic tools to evaluate retinal and choroidal aspect in patients with systemic diseases, such as celiac disease ( 2 , 3 ), and some neurological disorders, such as multisystemic atrophy ( 4 ) and progressive supranuclear palsy ( 5 ).…”