Only one single horizontal scan through the fovea was used for analysis.Ĭhoroidal thickness was determined as the vertical distance from the outer surface of the line formed by the retinal pigment epithelium to the chorioscleral interface using the Spectralis OCT measurement software. All scans were reviewed before their inclusion in the study those with image artefacts or inaccurate choroidal limits were excluded. Choroid was imaged with a 6-line radial scan (30°, 9.2 mm) using EDI setting, with 100 images averaged per section. The same experienced ophthalmologist (CB) performed all OCT scans, using Heidelberg Spectralis OCT (Heidelberg Engineering Co, Heidelberg, Germany). Participants with history of smoking or diagnosed with any systemic disease, such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, preeclampsia, renal, rheumatologic or cardiovascular diseases, were also excluded.Īll OCT scans were performed in the morning (8:00 am to 12:00 pm) to avoid diurnal variations of choroidal thickness. All pregnant women enrolled in the study were attending prenatal care and were having uneventful singleton pregnancy. Subjects with any previous ocular surgery or ocular pathology including refractive disorders with spherical equivalent greater than ± 1.0 diopters were excluded. Participants underwent an interview with demographic and background history and complete ophthalmic examination. This study was approved by HCPA research ethics committee and was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki guidelines. All participants received in person full explanation about the study and provided written informed consent. The participants were recruited between March and September of 2016 at Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), Brazil. This cross-sectional study included 122 eyes of 61 women, divided into two groups: 27 healthy pregnant women in the third trimester and 34 age-matched healthy non-pregnant women. The aim of this study was to compare choroidal thickness measurements of healthy women, pregnant and non-pregnant, using EDI-OCT. Since it is a noninvasive diagnostic method, EDI-OCT would be ideal for the study of choroid changes during an uncomplicated pregnancy. EDI-OCT promotes better documentation of the choroid and choroidal–scleral interface by decreasing signal strength posterior to the retinal pigment epithellium. The development of the enhanced depth imaging (EDI) technique of spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) systems allowed analysis of choroidal morphologic features in normal and pathological eyes. Choroidal dysfunction and ischemia are also a common ocular complication of preeclampsia. A strong association of central serous chorioretinopathy and pregnancy is well documented. The impact of pregnancy on the choroid, however, is still under investigation, with mixed results. Changes in ocular blood flow may also occur, as an increased pulsatile ocular blood flow. Ocular changes during pregnancy like an increased central corneal thickness and curvature and decreased corneal sensitivity and intraocular pressure (IOP) were already described. Cardiac output is increased as early as the 5th week and reflects a reduced systemic vascular resistance and an increased heart rate. Volemia augmentation in pregnancy averages 40–45% above the nonpregnant blood volume after 32–34 weeks. Physiological changes during pregnancy are significant and their knowledge is essential to optimize outcomes. Our study showed no statistically difference in choroidal thickness between healthy non-pregnant women and healthy pregnant women in the third trimester. There was also no statistically significant association between gestational age and choroidal thickness measurements in the healthy pregnant women group. Mean subfoveal choroidal thickness was 304.1 + 9.6 µm in the control group and 318.1 + 15.6 µm in the pregnant women group (p = 0.446). There were no significant differences in the ten measurements of choroidal thickness comparing both groups. Choroidal thickness was measured using Enhanced Depth Imaging OCT at ten different locations: at the fovea and every 500 µm from the fovea up to 2500 µm temporally and up to 2000 µm nasally. The aim of this study is to compare choroidal thickness measurements of healthy pregnant women in the third trimester and healthy non-pregnant women using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT). The impact of pregnancy on the choroid is still under investigation.
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