Retinal Microvascular Changes in Patients with Chronic Heart Failure due to Idiopathic Dilated Cardiomyopathy

Abstract

Objective:Idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDCM), one of the major causes of chronic heart failure, is a disorder that causes impairment of the systolic function due to left ventricular dilatation without coronary artery disease. In this study, we aimed to investigate retinal vascular density (VD) and the foveal avascular zone (FAZ) area changes in patients with IDCM using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA).Method:Forty-eight patients with IDCM and a left ventricle ejection fraction below 50% (Group 1) and 50 healthy individuals (Group 2) were evaluated using OCTA. FAZ area, superficial and the deep parafoveal VDs and peripapillary area VDs were measured and compared between the groups.Results:The FAZ values were significantly higher in Group 1 (0.29±0.09, 0.20±0.05; p<0.001, respectively). Moreover, the mean VD values were significantly lower in the deep capillary plexus of the parafoveal area in Group 1 (49.05±3.81, 54.81±2.88; p<0.001, respectively). The mean VD values were also significantly lower in the peripapillary area in Group 1 (50.54±3.38, 54.66±1.42; p<0.001, respectively).Conclusion:OCTA may possess the potential to be used in the follow-up of this patient group.

Keywords

• dilated cardiomyopathy
• heart failure
• microvascular density
• optical coherence tomography angiography