Observation of choroidal and retinal changes in acute leukemia in remission using ultra-widefield optical coherence tomography angiography.

Purpose: To observe choroidal and retinal changes in patients with acute leukemia in the remission stage using ultra-widefield swept-source optical coherence tomography angiography (SS-OCTA).

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 10 patients with acute leukemia in the remission stage (10 eyes) and 12 age-matched healthy controls (12 eyes). Demographic data, disease duration, and laboratory parameters were recorded. SS-OCTA was used to scan the 12 × 12 mm macular area. The retina and choroid were divided into five concentric circles with diameters of 0-1 mm, 1-3 mm, 3-6 mm, 6-9 mm, and 9-12 mm. OCTA parameters, including the thicknesses of retina and choroid, the vessel densities of superficial vascular complexes (SVC) and deep vascular complexes (DVC), the three-dimensional choroidal vascularity volume (3D-CVV), the three-dimensional choroidal vascularity index (3D-CVI), and the flow area of choriocapillaries (CC), were compared.

Results: The choroidal thickness of leukemia patients was thinner than that of the control in the 6-9 mm (P = 0.046) and 9-12 mm (P = 0.036) ranges. The 3D-CVV of patients with leukemia was significantly smaller than that in the control in the 1-3 mm (P = 0.024), 3-6 mm (P = 0.036), 6-9 mm (P = 0.038), and 9-12 mm (P = 0.028) ranges. There were no statistical differences in terms of retinal thickness, SVC, DVC, the 3D-CVI, and the flow area of CC between the groups across all ranges (all P > 0.05).

Conclusion: Thinning of the choroid and a reduction in choroidal vessel volume could be observed in acute leukemia patients in remission using ultra-widefield SS-OCTA.