Heliyon (Nov 2022)
Quantitative analysis of ultra-widefield fluorescein angiography in uveitis associated with sarcoidosis
Abstract
Purpose: To quantitatively assess the angiographic features of uveitis associated with sarcoidosis on ultra-widefield fluorescein angiography (UWFA) and determine their correlations with clinical features. Design: A retrospective cohort study. Methods: Sixty-four eyes (64 patients) with sarcoidosis uveitis were included. On UWFA, presence of vasculitis, macular leakage, and optic disc leakage were assessed and features including peripheral ischemic area, vascular leakage area, and punched out lesions were quantitatively analyzed using FIJI (ImageJ2) and correlated with clinical features. Results: The mean peripheral ischemic area and leakage area were 0.0419 ± 0.113% and 0.0333 ± 0.0287% of the total retinal area, respectively. Macular and optic disc leakage were present in 18.8% and 59.4% of eyes, respectively. The average number of punched out lesions was 10.02 ± 21.95. Those changes were most abundant in the inferotemporal area. The presence of disc leakage correlated with all the other UWFA parameters (all r ≥ 0.260; all P ≤ 0.038). The leakage area correlated with vitreous cells, baseline and 6-month logMAR visual acuity, steroid dose and duration, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and C-reactive protein (r = 0.472, 0.288, 0.321, 0.374, 0.250, 0.251, and 0.277; all P ≤ 0.46). Conclusions: This study quantitatively analyzed UWFA data in sarcoidosis uveitis. Angiographic changes were most frequent in the inferotemporal area. UWFA parameters correlated with one another and clinical variables. These quantitative imaging results warrant a subjective analysis of sarcoidosis uveitis.