Evaluation of choroidal thickness changes in patients with migraine using optical coherence tomography.

INTRODUCTION

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has enabled the study of ocular impairments associated with certain neurological pathologies, such as migraine. This common condition represents a risk factor for ocular ischemic complications. We investigated changes in choroidal thickness (CT) in migraine patients with and without aura (MWA and MWoA respectively) compared to healthy controls using OCT and identified factors influencing the occurrence of these anomalies in migraine.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional case-control study including migraine patients and control subjects. All patients and controls underwent a complete ophthalmological examination and CT measurements using a spectral domain-OCT device (DRI OCT Triton; Topcon Corp, Japan). The duration of migraine, the frequency and duration of migraine attacks, the migraine disability assessment (MIDAS) and migraine severity scale (MIGSEV) questionnaire scores were recorded.

RESULTS

One hundred and twenty eyes from 60 patients (60 eyes in the MWoA group and 60 eyes in the MWA group) were included. The control group included 30 age- and gender-matched healthy participants (60 eyes). OCT revealed that CT was significantly reduced in MWoA and MWA groups compared with the control group and in the MWA group compared to MWoA group. The duration of migraine and attacks as well as the disease severity were correlated with CT. Multiregression analysis showed that disease severity was the main determinant of CT.

CONCLUSION

Our study highlights the significant impact of both types of migraine on choroidal structure. OCT proves to be promising in understanding migraine pathophysiology and potentially serves as a valuable biomarker for diagnosis and monitoring.