Corneal crosslinking effects on macular microvasculature in progressive keratoconus cases: A prospective single-arm study
Objective: To evaluate the macular microvascular changes after corneal collagen crosslinking (CXL) in progressive keratoconus (KCN) cases Design: Single-arm prospective interventional study Participants: Thirty eyes of 25 cases with progressive KCN are included in this study to undergo a corneal epi...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Photodiagnosis and Photodynamic Therapy |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1572100025001164 |
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| Summary: | Objective: To evaluate the macular microvascular changes after corneal collagen crosslinking (CXL) in progressive keratoconus (KCN) cases Design: Single-arm prospective interventional study Participants: Thirty eyes of 25 cases with progressive KCN are included in this study to undergo a corneal epi‑off CXL procedure. Methods: All included eyes underwent an epi‑off CXL procedure with Dresden protocol and were followed up for 6 months. All patients were examined at four visits: before the CXL procedure, one week, one month, and 6 months after the CXL procedure. Patients underwent a macular optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) before, 1 month, and 6 months after the CXL procedure. Main Outcome Measures: The vessel density (VD) in the foveal, parafoveal, perifoveal, whole image, superior-Hemi, and inferior-Hemi regions was evaluated in both superficial and deep capillary plexus (SCP and DCP). Results: The study enrolled 12 Males and 13 Females with a median age of 24.0 (IQR:21.0–26.5). Foveal VD in DCP was lower than the baseline at 1 and 5–6 months after the procedure. The mean difference (MD) between the baseline and the follow-ups was 4.34 % (95 %CI:0.25–8.42) and 6.21 % (95 %CI:2.20–10.35), respectively. The SCP VD showed a significant decrease in the superior segment of the macular OCTA 5–6 months after CXL (MD: 3.44 % (95 %CI:1.28–5.60)). Other macular SCP and DCP parameters showed no statistically significant change 5-6 months after CXL, although numerically, they seem lower at the last follow-up compared to the baseline. Conclusion: The corneal CXL procedure may alter the macular microvasculature, lasting even 6 months after the procedure, despite its overall presumed safety regarding the patients' vision and retinal function. |
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| ISSN: | 1572-1000 |