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Relationship between choroidal blood flow velocity and choroidal thickness during systemic corticosteroid therapy for Vogt–Koyanagi–Harada disease

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Abstract

Purpose

To investigate the relationship between circulation hemodynamics and morphology in the choroid during systemic corticosteroid therapy for patients with Vogt–Koyanagi–Harada (VKH) disease.

Methods

This retrospective case series includes 18 eyes of nine patients with VKH disease (two men and seven women; average age, 40.8 years) who received systemic corticosteroid therapy. Laser speckle flowgraphy (LSFG) and enhanced-depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT) were performed before treatment and at 1 week and 1 and 3 months after treatment. The average values of the mean blur rate (MBR) at the macula and the central choroidal thickness (CCT) were compared at each stage.

Results

The changing rates of the average MBR significantly increased at all examinations after the start of treatment compared with the pre-treatment value with resolution of serous retinal detachment (SRD) (P = 0.0002 for all). The CCT decreased significantly at all examinations after the start of treatment compared with the pre-treatment value (P = 0.0002 for all). Changes in MBR and CCT during the 3-month follow-up period correlated significantly (R = −0.5913, P = 0.0097). The best-corrected visual acuity at pre-treatment correlated significantly with the changing rate of the MBR from 0 to 3 months (R = 0.5944, P = 0.0093) but not with CCT.

Conclusions

Our data suggest that circulatory disturbances and increased thickness of the choroid relate to the pathogenesis of VKH disease with link mutually. LSFG is useful as an index for evaluating the choroiditis activity of VKH disease as well as EDI-OCT.

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Conflict of interest

All authors certify that they have no affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial interest (such as honoraria; educational grants; participation in speakers’ bureaus; membership, employment, consultancies, stock ownership, or other equity interest; and expert testimony or patent-licensing arrangements), or non-financial interest (such as personal or professional relationships, affiliations, knowledge or beliefs) in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ophthalmology, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan

    Kiriko Hirooka, Wataru Saito, Kenichi Namba, Yuko Takemoto, Kazuomi Mizuuchi, Tomoe Uno, Yoshiaki Tagawa, Yuki Hashimoto & Susumu Ishida

  2. Department of Ocular Circulation and Metabolism, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Nishi 7, Kita 15, Kita-ku, Sapporo, 060-8638, Japan

    Wataru Saito & Susumu Ishida

Authors
  1. Kiriko Hirooka
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  2. Wataru Saito
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  3. Kenichi Namba
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  4. Yuko Takemoto
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  5. Kazuomi Mizuuchi
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  6. Tomoe Uno
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  7. Yoshiaki Tagawa
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  8. Yuki Hashimoto
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  9. Susumu Ishida
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Wataru Saito.

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Hirooka, K., Saito, W., Namba, K. et al. Relationship between choroidal blood flow velocity and choroidal thickness during systemic corticosteroid therapy for Vogt–Koyanagi–Harada disease. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 253, 609–617 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-014-2927-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-014-2927-5

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