Risk Factors for Focal Choroidal Excavation Concurrent with Chorioretinal Disease: Evaluated by Spectral-Domain OCT.

PURPOSE: To investigate the risk factors for patients with focal choroidal excavation (FCE) and their correlation with chorioretinal diseases.

DESIGN

Retrospective cross-sectional study.

SUBJECTS: Patients with FCE were enrolled, while healthy subjects were recruited for the control group.

METHODS

The study collected demographic information, clinical features, and multimodal images. Parameters of FCE identified using spectral-domain OCT (SD-OCT) were manually measured using built-in software and subsequently analyzed statistically.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT), subexcavation choroidal thickness (SECT), and the greatest depth and width of each excavation were manually measured using built-in calipers in OCT software.

RESULTS

Twenty-one patients (13/8, male/female) with FCE were included in this study. The average age was 45.2 years, and their best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 0.4 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (Snellen equivalent, 20/50). Focal choroidal excavation was present in 28 eyes of 21 patients, including isolated FCE (12 eyes) and complicated FCE (16 eyes) with choroidal neovascularization (sCNV), central serous chorioretinopathy, and other conditions. Patients with complicated FCE were significantly older than those isolated FCE (P = 0.015). The SFCT of the healthy subjects was significantly less than that of the fellow eyes of the patients with FCE (P < 0.01), as was that of the eyes with isolated FCE (P < 0.001) and complicated FCE (P < 0.001). The width of excavation was wider in eyes with complicated FCE than in those with isolated FCE (P = 0.001). Hypertransmission defect (HD) was found beneath 15 excavations and was more prevalent in the complicated FCE group than the isolated FCE group (P = 0.023).

CONCLUSIONS

Focal choroidal excavation appears to be closely related to chorioretinal disorders, and the width of the excavation is a significant indicator for evaluating the risk of chorioretinal diseases.

FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES: Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found in the Footnotes and Disclosures at the end of this article.