Optical coherence tomography (OCT) and OCT angiography evaluation of morphology and vascular structures in the retina in recovered pediatric patients with novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Author: Semra Tiryaki Demir (Turkey)

Co-authors:

Purpose

Using optical coherence tomography (OCT) and OCT angiography (OCTA), we aimed to determine whether novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) induces pathological changes in morphology and vascular structures in the pediatric retina.

Setting/Venue

Prospective, cross-sectional, observational clinical study.

Methods

The current study included recovered pediatric patients with COVID-19 evaluated between May 2020 and June 2020. Retinal morphology (retinal, choroidal, peripapillary retinal nerve fiber, and ganglion cell layer thickness) and vascular structures (superficial, deep, and radial peripapillary capillary plexus vessel densities) in the macular and optic disc regions were quantitively assessed using OCT and OCTA. Data were compared between patients and age-matched healthy controls.

Results

The study included 64 eyes of 32 participants (COVID-19 group, 32 eyes; control group, 32 eyes). Biomicroscopic and fundus examinations revealed no signs of pathology in the COVID-19 group. However, OCT revealed a few vitritis-like hyper-reflective dots in the posterior vitreous in five female patients (31.2%) with COVID-19. Mean choroidal, peripapillary retinal nerve fiber, and ganglion cell layer thickness values were significantly greater in the COVID-19 group than in the control group (p<0.05). OCTA indicated that mean superficial/deep capillary plexus vessel densities and choriocapillaris flow area values were significantly lower in the COVID-19 group than in the control group, whereas mean radial peripapillary capillary plexus vessel density values were significantly higher (p<0.05).

Conlusions

Even if fundus examination results appear normal in pediatric patients with COVID-19, morphological and vascular changes may be observed in the retina. Further studies are required to elucidate the clinical significance of structural and vascular changes in this population.

Financial Disclosure

None