Risk Factors for Focal Choroidal Excavation Concurrent with Chorioretinal Disease: Evaluated by Spectral-Domain OCT

PurposeTo investigate the risk factors for patients with focal choroidal excavation (FCE) and their correlation with chorioretinal diseases.DesignRetrospective, cross-sectional study.SubjectsPatients with FCE were enrolled, while healthy subjects were recruited for the control group.MethodsThe study collected demographic information, clinical features, and multimodal images. Parameters of FCE identified using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) were manually measured using built-in software and subsequently analyzed statistically.Main Outcome MeasuresSubfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT), subexcavation choroidal thickness (SECT), and the greatest depth and width of each excavation were manually measured using built-in calipers in OCT software.ResultsTwenty-one patients (13/8, male/female) with FCE were included in this study. The average age was 45.2 years, and their best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 0.4 logMAR (Snellen equivalent, 20/50). FCE was present in 28 eyes of 21 patients, including isolated FCE (12 eyes) and complicated FCE (16 eyes) with choroidal neovascularization, central serous chorioretinopathy, and other conditions. Patients with complicated FCE were significantly older than those isolated FCE (p=0.015). The subfoveal choroidal thickness of the healthy subjects was significantly less than that of the fellow eyes of the FCE patients (P<0.01), as was that of the eyes with isolated FCE (P<0.001) and complicated FCE (P<0.001). The width of excavation was wider in eyes with complicated FCE than in those with isolated FCE (p=0.001). Hypertransmission Defects (HD) was found beneath 15 excavations and was more prevalent in the complicated FCE group than the isolated FCE group (p=0.023).ConclusionsFocal choroidal excavation (FCE) appears to be closely related to chorioretinal disorders, and the width of the excavation is a significant indicator for evaluating the risk of chorioretinal diseases. To investigate the risk factors for patients with focal choroidal excavation (FCE) and their correlation with chorioretinal diseases. Retrospective, cross-sectional study. Patients with FCE were enrolled, while healthy subjects were recruited for the control group. The study collected demographic information, clinical features, and multimodal images. Parameters of FCE identified using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) were manually measured using built-in software and subsequently analyzed statistically. Subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT), subexcavation choroidal thickness (SECT), and the greatest depth and width of each excavation were manually measured using built-in calipers in OCT software. Twenty-one patients (13/8, male/female) with FCE were included in this study. The average age was 45.2 years, and their best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 0.4 logMAR (Snellen equivalent, 20/50). FCE was present in 28 eyes of 21 patients, including isolated FCE (12 eyes) and complicated FCE (16 eyes) with choroidal neovascularization, central serous chorioretinopathy, and other conditions. Patients with complicated FCE were significantly older than those isolated FCE (p=0.015). The subfoveal choroidal thickness of the healthy subjects was significantly less than that of the fellow eyes of the FCE patients (P<0.01), as was that of the eyes with isolated FCE (P<0.001) and complicated FCE (P<0.001). The width of excavation was wider in eyes with complicated FCE than in those with isolated FCE (p=0.001). Hypertransmission Defects (HD) was found beneath 15 excavations and was more prevalent in the complicated FCE group than the isolated FCE group (p=0.023). Focal choroidal excavation (FCE) appears to be closely related to chorioretinal disorders, and the width of the excavation is a significant indicator for evaluating the risk of chorioretinal diseases.