Endocrine Abstracts

JOINT558

Purpose: To investigate retinal and choroidal neurovascular structures in children and adolescents with Graves’ disease(GD) but without active ophthalmopathy using OCT and OCTA.

Patients and Methods: In this prospective, cross-sectional, observational study, GD patients without ophthalmopathy were assessed between September 2022 and 2023. Retinal and choroidal neurovascular structures in the macula and peripapillary retinal neurovasculature were quantitatively analyzed using OCT and OCTA and compared to age-matched healthy controls. Statistical significance was set at a P-value less than 0.05.

Results: Thirty patients with Graves’ disease (mean age 14.3 ± 2.3 years) and 30 age-matched healthy controls. The GD group exhibited significantly lower vessel densities in both the superficial and deep capillary plexuses of the fovea (P < 0.05 for all) and significantly larger foveal avascular zone diameters compared to controls (P = 0.002). Central foveal thickness (CFT) and choroidal thickness (CT) were significantly lower in the GD group (P = 0.036 and p≤0.01 for all; respectively). No significant differences were found between groups regarding choriocapillaris flow area, choroidal vascularity index, peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (pRNFLT), or radial peripapillary capillary plexus vessel densities (p >0.05 for all).

Conclusion: In pediatric GD patients without active ophthalmopathy, macular microvascular changes appear to precede optic disc changes. Alterations in CFT and CT may occur before changes in pRNFLT. Reduced macular vessel density, thinner CFT, and decreased CT may be important biomarkers for monitoring pediatric GD patients.