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Comparisons of choroidal blood flow velocity between initial-onset acute uveitis associated with Vogt–Koyanagi–Harada disease and acute central serous chorioretinopathy

Eye volume 38, pages 1269–1275 (2024)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Objectives

Acute central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) and Vogt–Koyanagi–Harada (VKH) disease in the acute uveitic phase are characterized by serous retinal detachment caused by dysfunction of the choroid. The aim of this study is to compare blood flow velocity and pulse waveform parameters in the choroid between these two diseases.

Methods

In this study, 25 patients (50 eyes) with VKH disease, 21 patients (27 eyes) with CSC and 15 healthy controls (30 eyes) were studied. Laser speckle flowgraphy (LSFG) was performed at presentation.

Results

Choroidal mean blur rate (MBR), representing blood flow velocity in choroidal vessels, was significantly lower in the eyes affected by VKH disease compared with the healthy control and CSC eyes. CSC eyes had a significantly higher MBR compared with healthy controls. Among the analyzed pulse waveform parameters, blow-out time (BOT), falling rate (FR) and flow acceleration index (FAI) changed significantly. BOT value was significantly lower in CSC eyes than in healthy control and VKH eyes. FR and FAI values were significantly lower in VKH eyes than in healthy control and CSC eyes. There was a strong positive correlation between MBR and FAI.

Conclusions

Our findings confirm different pathophysiology of these two diseases. Assessment of choroidal blood flow velocity and haemodynamics with LSFG provides useful information to differentiate acute CSC and initial-onset acute uveitis associated with VKH disease.

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Fig. 1: A 24-year-old female patient with initial-onset acute uveitis associated with Vogt–Koyanagi–Harada disease.
Fig. 2: A 32-year-old male patient with acute right eye central serous chorioretinopathy.
Fig. 3: Representative laser speckle flowgraphy color-coded map of a 32-year-old male control subject.
Fig. 4: Correlations between choroidal mean blur rate (MBR) and flow acceleration index (FAI).

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Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are not openly available due to reasons of sensitivity and are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. Data are located in controlled access data storage at Department of Ophthalmology, College of Medicine, King Saud University.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Ms. Crisalis Longanilla-Bautista for secretarial assistance.

Funding

We thank the Deputyship for Research & Innovation, Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia for funding this research (IFKSURC-1-2104) (Abu El-Asrar MA).

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Author notes

  1. These authors contributed equally: Ahmed M. Abu El-Asrar, Abdulrahman F. AlBloushi.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ophthalmology, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Ahmed M. Abu El-Asrar, Abdulrahman F. AlBloushi, Marwan A. Abouammoh, Abdullah Alzubaidi, Priscilla W. Gikandi, Abdulrahman Al Faran, Abdullah S. Al-Kharashi & Saad Al-Dahmash

  2. Dr. Nasser Al-Rashid Research Chair in Ophthalmology, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Ahmed M. Abu El-Asrar

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Contributions

All authors conceived the idea and designed the study. AMA reviewed the literature, supervised, and acquired resources for the project. All authors collected data and provided materials. PG performed the data analysis and interpreted the results with AMA. AMA wrote the manuscript, and all authors reviewed the manuscript critically.

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Correspondence to Ahmed M. Abu El-Asrar.

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Abu El-Asrar, A.M., AlBloushi, A.F., Abouammoh, M.A. et al. Comparisons of choroidal blood flow velocity between initial-onset acute uveitis associated with Vogt–Koyanagi–Harada disease and acute central serous chorioretinopathy. Eye 38, 1269–1275 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41433-023-02879-0

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