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Retinal microcirculation characteristics in obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome evaluated by OCT-angiography: a literature review

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Abstract

Purpose

The retina may provide a window to estimate systemic vascular status; therefore, there has been interest in identifying microcirculation characteristics that possibly reflect hypoxic alterations in obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (OSAS). Emerging evidence has suggested that retinal microvasculature investigation holds the potential to characterize the pathophysiology involved in ocular manifestations of OSAS. The advent of optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A) has attracted significant attention as this technique offers detailed analysis of the retinal capillary plexus.

Methods

A detailed literature search was performed in PubMed database until December 2021. We identified and reviewed all papers referring to the alterations of the retinal capillary plexus in OSAS using OCT-A.

Results

A comprehensive update indicates that microcirculation alterations of the retinal capillary plexus utilizing OCT-A may differ with severity of OSAS and imply the potential underlying pathophysiology of ocular manifestations. The reviewed series have revealed variability concerning microvasculature characteristics at the macular and the peripapillary area. Further studies are warranted to establish the OCT-A parameters as biomarkers regarding the evaluation of OSAS in clinical practice.

Conclusion

Retinal capillary plexus characteristics as seen on OCT-A reflect microvasculature alterations, potentially leading to concomitant ocular comorbidity in the context of OSAS. The reviewed literature may confirm the diagnostic and prognostic value of OCT-A in the assessment of the pathophysiology of ocular manifestations in OSAS and highlight unmet needs to be addressed by future research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, University Hospital of Ioannina, 45110, Ioannina, Greece

    Evita Evangelia Christou, Christoforos Asproudis, Paraskevas Zafeiropoulos, Maria Stefaniotou & Ioannis Asproudis

  2. Respiratory Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, University Hospital of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece

    Konstantinos Kostikas

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  1. Evita Evangelia Christou
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  2. Konstantinos Kostikas
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  3. Christoforos Asproudis
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  4. Paraskevas Zafeiropoulos
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Correspondence to Evita Evangelia Christou.

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Christou, E.E., Kostikas, K., Asproudis, C. et al. Retinal microcirculation characteristics in obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome evaluated by OCT-angiography: a literature review. Int Ophthalmol 42, 3977–3991 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10792-022-02361-y

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