Correlation between macular perfusion and ganglion-cell complex thickness in primary open-angle glaucoma patients using optical coherence tomography angiography

Abstract

Purpose The aim of this study was to correlate the macular perfusion and ganglion-cell complex (GCC) thickness in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). Patients and methods This is a cross-sectional observational study that included 51 eyes of 51 patients with POAG. The vascular density (VD) in the superficial vascular complex and deep vascular complex (SVC and DVC) was assessed by OCTA and the GCC thickness was assessed by spectral-domain OCT. Patients were divided into three groups according to severity by visual field mean deviation into mild (less than −6.0 dB), moderate (between −6.0 and −12.0 dB), and severe (more than −12.0 dB). Results The mean VD measurements in the SVC were 46.0±5.8, 45.8±4.4, and 36.0±6.6 in the ‘mild,’ ‘moderate,’ and ‘severe’ groups, respectively, while in the DVC, the mean VD measurements were 49.8±8.0, 47.0±7.4, and 40.4±9.4, respectively. The differences in the VD between the three groups were more significant in the SVC (P<0.001) than in the DVC (P=0.004). The correlation between the GCC thickness and the VD was statistically significant in the SVC only in the whole image and in the perifoveal area (P<0.001). Conclusion In POAG patients, changes in VD in the macular area measured with OCTA can be correlated with GCC changes and visual-field changes and can be used as a diagnostic tool. POAG preferentially affects the SVC rather than the DVC.

Keywords

• ganglion-cell thickness
• glaucoma
• macular perfusion
• optical coherence tomography angiography