Purpose

To investigate the association between the presence of a cilioretinal artery (CRA) and advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD), including the prevalence of choroidal neovascularization (CNV) and geographic atrophy (GA).

Design

Retrospective cross-sectional study.

Methods

This was a single-center study. A total of 738 patients with AMD who underwent optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) were included in the study. Fundus photographs were reviewed to determine the presence of the CRA. In patients with a unilateral CRA, paired tests were performed between eyes with and without the CRA to compare AMD severity and prevalence of CNV and GA. The main outcomes of interest were AMD stage and prevalence of CNV and GA. Macular vasculature, including vessel density, perfusion density, and foveal avascular zone, were examined using OCTA.

Results

A total of 174 eyes from 87 patients with a unilateral CRA were examined. A total of 27.8% and 8.1% of patients had a CRA in 1 eye and both eyes, respectively. Eyes with a CRA showed lower AMD stage (4-step AREDS category; P = .037) and a lower prevalence of CNV (23.0% vs 41.4%; P = .024) than those without a CRA. The prevalence of GA and macular vessel density, perfusion density, and foveal avascular zone measured by OCTA were similar in both groups.

Conclusions

In the eyes with a CRA, AMD stage and prevalence of CNV were lower than those in the eyes without a CRA. However, the effect of the CRA on the macular vascular system remains unclear.

中文翻译：

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单侧睫状视网膜动脉和晚期老年性黄斑变性：一项回顾性横断面研究

目的

调查睫状视网膜动脉 (CRA) 的存在与晚期年龄相关性黄斑变性 (AMD) 之间的关联，包括脉络膜新生血管 (CNV) 和地理萎缩 (GA) 的患病率。

设计

回顾性横断面研究。

方法

这是一项单中心研究。该研究共纳入了 738 名接受光学相干断层扫描血管造影 (OCTA) 的 AMD 患者。检查眼底照片以确定 CRA 的存在。在患有单侧 CRA 的患者中，在有和没有 CRA 的眼睛之间进行配对测试，以比较 AMD 的严重程度和 CNV 和 GA 的患病率。感兴趣的主要结果是 AMD 阶段以及 CNV 和 GA 的患病率。使用 OCTA 检查黄斑脉管系统，包括血管密度、灌注密度和中心凹无血管区。

结果

对 87 名单侧 CRA 患者的 174 只眼进行了检查。共有 27.8% 和 8.1% 的患者分别在一只眼和两只眼中出现 CRA。与没有 CRA 的眼睛相比，有 CRA 的眼睛显示出更低的 AMD 阶段（4 步 AREDS 类别；P  = .037）和更低的 CNV 患病率（23.0% 对 41.4%；P  = .024）。由 OCTA 测量的 GA 和黄斑血管密度、灌注密度和中心凹无血管区的患病率在两组中相似。

结论

在患有 CRA 的眼睛中，AMD 分期和 CNV 的患病率低于没有 CRA 的眼睛。然而，CRA 对黄斑血管系统的影响仍不清楚。