Choroidal vascularity ındex findings ın patients recovered from mild course COVID-19 pneumonia.

PURPOSE: To assess the choroidal vascularity index (CVI) in individuals who have recovered from moderate pneumonia caused by COVID-19, using enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT).

METHODS

This study included 43 patients who had recovered from SARS-CoV-2 infection with mild pneumonia (Group 1-COVID group), as well as 45 healthy individuals (Group 2- healthy control group). The study comprised COVID-19 patients who fully recovered from COVID-19 pneumonia. These patients were assessed 6 months after their pneumonia had totally resolved. The measurements were acquired via EDI-OCT investigations of the choroidal structures. The primary measure of interest was the CVI, which is defined as the ratio of the luminal area (LA) to the total choroidal area (TCA).

RESULTS

Patients from Group 1 (COVID group) who had totally recovered exhibited significantly higher mean TCA, stromal area (SA), and LA compared to patients from Group 2 (control or healthy group). The two groups did not show a significant difference in CVI (p = 0.080).

CONCLUSION

Choroidal vascularity index can reveal the choroidal vascular physiology in patients who have fully recovered from COVID-19 pneumonia. EDI-OCT can be utilized to evaluate choroidal vascular alterations, serving as a non-invasive indicator for early vascular impairment following SARS-CoV-2 infection.