Evaluation of Ocular Perfusion in Alzheimer’s Disease Using Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Lahme, Larissa^{a; 1} | Esser, Eliane Luisa^{a; 1} | Mihailovic, Natasa^a | Schubert, Friederike^a | Lauermann, Jost^a | Johnen, Andreas^b | Eter, Nicole^a | Duning, Thomas^{b; 1} | Alnawaiseh, Maged^{a; 1; *}

Affiliations: [a] Department of Ophthalmology, University of Muenster Medical Center, Muenster, Germany | [b] Department of Neurology, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany

Correspondence: [*] Correspondence to: Maged Alnawaiseh, MD, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Muenster Medical Center, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Building D15, 48149 Muenster, Germany. Tel.: +49 251 83 56001; Fax: +49 251 83 56003; E-mail: [email protected].

Note: [1] These authors contributed equally to this work.

Abstract: Background:There is increasing evidence for the involvement of cerebrovascular factors in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Objective:To evaluate retinal and optic nerve head perfusion in patients with AD using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA), and to analyze the correlations of quantitative OCTA metrics with AD pathology and vascular cerebral lesions in AD patients. Methods:36 eyes of 36 patients with AD (study group) and 38 eyes of 38 healthy subjects (control group) were prospectively included in this study. OCTA was performed using RTVue XR Avanti with AngioVue. In addition, patients underwent a detailed ophthalmological and neurological examination including Mini-Mental State Examination, cerebral magnetic resonance imaging, and amyloid-β (Aβ) and tau levels in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Results:The flow density in the superficial retinal OCT angiogram of the macula in the study group was significantly lower compared to the control group (p = 0.001). There was a significant correlation between the flow density in the superficial retinal OCT angiogram of the macula, as measured using OCTA, and the Fazekas scale (Spearman’s correlation coefficient = –0.520; p = 0.003). There was no significant correlation between the Aβ or tau levels in the CSF and the flow density data. Conclusion:Patients with AD showed a reduced flow density in the radial peripapillary capillaries layer and in the superficial retinal OCT angiogram when compared with healthy controls. The reduced retinal flow density measured using OCTA is not specifically associated with AD pathology but is associated with the vascular cerebral lesions in AD.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, flow density, optical coherence tomography angiography, retinal and optic nerve head perfusion

DOI: 10.3233/JAD-180738

Journal: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 66, no. 4, pp. 1745-1752, 2018