Choroidal Patterns in Retinitis Pigmentosa: Correlation with Visual Acuity and Disease Progression

PURPOSE: The main aim was to identify different choroidal patterns in retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and to assess their clinical and anatomical meanings after 1 year of follow-up. METHODS: Forty-five patients with RP (29 men; mean age 44.5 ± 11.7 years) and 45 healthy controls (29 men; mean age 44.2 ± 9.8 years) were recruited. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) and OCT angiography (OCTA) images were obtained. By means of structural OCT, the following three choroidal patterns were identified: normal-appearing choroid (pattern 1), reduced Haller and Sattler layers (pattern 2), and pattern 2 + choroidal caverns (pattern 3). Main outcome measures were best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), central macular thickness (CMT), choroidal thickness (CT), vessel density, vessel tortuosity, vessel dispersion, vessel rarefaction, and choroidal stromal index (CSI). RESULTS: Mean BCVA was 0.27 ± 0.30 LogMAR for patients with RP and 0.0 ± 0.0 LogMAR for controls (P < 0.01). CMT, CT, CSI, and OCTA parameters were statistically different between patients with RP and controls (P < 0.01). Choroidal patterns 1, 2, and 3 were identified in 20 (44%), 15 (33%), and 10 (23%) patients with RP, respectively. Several statistically significant correlations were also found. Interestingly, after 1 year of follow-up, only the pattern 3 subgroup showed significant worsening of BCVA, CMT, and OCTA parameters (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Choroidal patterns were associated with different RP clinical forms as well as with different progression after 1 year. TRANSLATIONAL RELEVANCE: Choroidal patterns evaluation may provide useful clinical information for patients with RP.