Peripapillary Vessel Density Measured by Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography in Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension.

BACKGROUND: Although alterations in the peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) in patients with idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) have been characterized using optical coherence tomography (OCT), there are little data regarding the peripapillary vasculature in this patient population. Our aim was to evaluate findings of OCT angiography (OCT-A) in the peripapillary region in addition to the RNFL measurements on OCT in patients with IIH.

METHODS: Thirty-eight eyes of 19 patients with IIH and 42 eyes of 21 healthy controls were enrolled in our study. Papilledema was graded according to the Frisen scale. Peripapillary RNFL and vessel density were evaluated with OCT and OCT-A, respectively.

RESULTS: RNFL thickness was found to be increased with OCT, but this was statistically significant only in the inferior location in IIH patients when compared with the control group. There was a significant decrease in mean peripapillary vessel density measured with OCT-A in IIH patients with papilledema when compared with the control group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: In patients with IIH, there was a decrease in peripapillary vessel density measured by OCT-A, and this decrease may be a consequence of the swelling of axons in the peripapillary retina due to papilledema. However, autoregulatory vascular mechanisms may also play a role in decreased peripapillary vessel density.