BILATERAL MACULAR CHOROIDAL ABNORMALITIES WITH DRUSENOID DEPOSITS IN PATIENTS WITH UNILATERAL PERIPHERAL EXUDATIVE HEMORRHAGIC CHORIORETINOPATHY

Abstract

Purpose: 

To investigate bilateral macular features on optical coherence tomography in patients with unilateral peripheral exudative hemorrhagic chorioretinopathy (PEHCR).

Methods: 

In this cross-sectional study, optical coherence tomography features of affected eyes (PEHCR group, n = 30) and unaffected contralateral eyes (contralateral group, n = 30) were investigated. Age-matched and sex-matched patients with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV group, n = 51) and healthy controls (normal group, n = 50) were included to compare choroidal thickness, measured at six points apart from the fovea, with the PEHCR group.

Results: 

Subretinal drusenoid deposits were the most common feature in the PEHCR (20%) and contralateral (23%) groups, followed by soft drusen. Although the macular choroid was comparably thin in both the PEHCR and contralateral groups, pachyvessels were also observed. The choroids of the PEHCR group were significantly thinner than those of the normal group at the subfovea and 1-mm temporal to the fovea and considerably thinner than those of the polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy group from 3-mm nasal to 3-mm temporal to the fovea.

Conclusion: 

In patients with unilateral PEHCR, bilateral choroidal thinning and drusenoid deposit accumulation were noted in the macula. The pathophysiology of PEHCR may be a rare peripheral complication of age-related macular degeneration with pathologic choroid.

In Brief

This retrospective cross-sectional cohort study demonstrated that patients with unilateral peripheral exudative hemorrhagic chorioretinopathy showed bilateral macular changes with choroidal thinning and drusenoid deposit accumulation on optical coherence tomography. Therefore, peripheral exudative hemorrhagic chorioretinopathy may be a rare peripheral complication of age-related macular degeneration with pathologic choroids.