Noninvasive vascular imaging of ruptured retinal arterial macroaneurysms by Doppler optical coherence tomography

Background: To describe Doppler optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging of ruptured retinal arterial macroaneurysms (RAMs). Methods: Four eyes of four patients with ruptured RAMs were prospectively studied. Vascular imaging was obtained using swept-source Doppler OCT, and compared with indocyanine green angiography images. Results: En face projection of Doppler OCT images clearly showed RAMs at the corresponding locations of lesions in the indocyanine green angiography images. In Doppler OCT images, RAMs were located in the inner retina in three eyes and in the medium layer of the retina in one eye. In one eye, detection of RAMs by standard OCT was difficult because of the presence of inner retinal hemorrhage. In one eye, disappearance of blood flow after direct laser photocoagulation could be confirmed by Doppler OCT images. Conclusions: Doppler OCT imaging may potentially function as a noninvasive complementary procedure with indocyanine green angiography.