[Retracted] The Function of Retinal Thickness and Microvascular Alterations in the Diagnosis of Systemic Sclerosis

Abstract

In this study, we aim to investigate retinal thickness (RT) and superficial vascular density (SVD) differences between patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and healthy controls (HCs) by optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). Sixteen patients with a definitive SSc diagnosis without clinical signs of retinopathy and 16 normal control subjects were recruited. All individuals underwent OCTA scanning to assess macular RT and SVD. We divided each image into nine subregions as the early treatment diabetic retinopathy study (ETDRS). Visual acuity (VA) was considerably different between patients with SSc (32 eyes) and control subjects (32 eyes) ( p < 0.001 ). Compared to the control group, individuals with SSc had decreased inner RT in inner superior, outer superior, outer temporal, inner temporal, center, and inner nasal regions ( p < 0.05 ). Outer RT was decreased in the outer and inner temporal regions, and full RT was decreased in the regions of outer superior, inner superior, inner temporal, and outer temporal, in comparison to the control group ( p < 0.05 ). Patients with SSc had significant reduction of SVD in the inner and outer of both superior and temporal, besides outer nasal regions than controls. ( p < 0.05 ). Moreover, SVD was significantly associated with the outer temporal region of patients suffering from SSc ( p < 0.05 ). Diagnostic Sensitivity of RT and SVD of Inner Superior Regions in SSc, as indicated by areas under curves of the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC), were 0.874 (95% CI: 0.786–0.962) and 0.827 (95% CI: 0.704–0.950), respectively. In conclusion, VA may be affected by RT variations inside the macula in patients with SSc. Measuring RT with OCTA could be a useful predictor of early diagnosis.

Microvascular Alteration in COVID-19 Documented by Nailfold Capillaroscopy

“…In particular, evidence of microvascular thrombosis was found in 85% of patients (n = 11), a fact also confirmed in studies utilizing NVC by Natalello et al and Rosei et al [21,30]. Espirito Santo et al confirmed the evidence that emerged during the first period of the pandemic, specifically that the systemic involvement of SARS-CoV-2 infection is due to endothelial involvement [7,8,[40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49], so an evaluation of the microcirculation can play a role in patient evaluation. However, the main limitations of this study lie in the absence of a remote evaluation of the patients and in the lack of a control group.…”

“…Other methods widely applicated for evaluating microcirculation are optical coherence tomography (OCT) and optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA), which are noninvasive imaging techniques that allow for the analysis of quantitative and morphological changes in the retina and ocular microcirculation and are routinely used for the diagnosis and follow-up of diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and maculopathies [47]. Several studies demonstrated microvascular ocular alterations in patients with SSc through OCT and OCTA, suggesting their possible applications as a clinical biomarker for assessing disease activity and severity [47,49]. Soysal et al compared OCTA findings in both adults and children during the acute phase of SARS-CoV-2 with respective healthy control groups: in adults, this study found no statistical OCTA differences between the two subgroups, but, in the pediatric branch, lower capillary density was found, confirming the NVC alterations found in children described by Çakmak et al [31,50].…”

Five‐year changes in macular thickness in the elderly population: A cohort study

“…Change in retinal morphology is a useful biomarker for diagnosing systemic, 1 neurodegenerative, 2,3 and ocular diseases 4 . Despite the vital role of the retina in vision and its changes in various diseases, there is little information about the retinal thickness profile and its longitudinal changes in the healthy population.…”

Retracted: The Function of Retinal Thickness and Microvascular Alterations in the Diagnosis of Systemic Sclerosis

“…This article has been retracted by Hindawi, as publisher, following an investigation undertaken by the publisher [1]. This investigation has uncovered evidence of systematic manipulation of the publication and peer-review process.…”