REVIEW  OCT ANGIOGRAPHY: A NEW ERA OF OPHTALMOLOGY 

Minerva Oftalmologica 2018 September;60(3):130-6

DOI: 10.23736/S0026-4903.18.01806-8

Copyright © 2018 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

OCT angiography in inherited retinal dystrophies

Daniela BACHERINI ✉, Andrea SODI, Gianni VIRGILI, Stanislao RIZZO

Eye Clinic, AOU Careggi, Livorno, Italy

Inherited retinal dystrophies are an heterogeneous group of diseases involving progressive degeneration of retinal photoreceptors, caused by genetic mutations. Although inherited retinal dystrophies are not vascular diseases, in these disorders the study of vascular involvement could be useful to reveal specific vascular abnormalities. Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) allows a rapid and non-invasive clear visualization of different structures and a fine and detailed evaluation of the retinal and choroidal vascular network, allowing to evaluate the retinal flow layer by layer, with a separated evaluation of the superficial capillary plexus (SCP) and deep capillary plexus (DCP), which cannot be separately visualized by other techniques. OCTA in inherited retinal dystrophies may reveal a potential vascular involvement, in inherited degenerative disorders could be useful to have a non-invasive detection of vascular alterations located at different and specific vascular layers and to identify choroidal neovascularization that may complicate some chorioretinal dystrophies. All considered, OCTA may help to understand the pathogenesis of dystrophies and suggest potential strategies for their future therapeutic management.

KEY WORDS: Retinal dystrophies - Tomography, optical coherence - Angiography