Choroidal Vascularity Index in Eyes with Choroidal Nevi: A Quantitative Imaging Study

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the choroidal vascularity index (CVI) in eyes with choroidal nevi (CN) and compare it to the corresponding anatomical region in the fellow eye, in order to assess whether the presence of a CN alters the vascular composition of the adjacent choroid. Methods: This cross-sectional study included patients with unilateral CN imaged with enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT). Foveal and perilesional CVI was calculated using a standardized binarization and segmentation protocol based on previously published methods and compared with the homologous region of the fellow eye. Associations between CVI and demographic, ocular, and nevus-related characteristics were also assessed. Results: A total of 64 patients (64 eyes with CN) were included. Perilesional CVI did not differ between the CN eye and the corresponding region of the fellow eye (66.4 ± 4.8% vs 66.5 ± 4.6%, p = 0.682), nor did it vary by anatomical location. Foveal CVI was similarly comparable between the CN eye and the fellow eye (68.8 ± 3.4% vs 68.4 ± 3.1%, p = 0.212). Neither foveal nor perilesional CVI was associated with age, sex, subfoveal choroidal thickness, or any nevus characteristic tested, including largest basal diameter, thickness, configuration, drusen, subretinal fluid, or choroidal neovascularization. Conclusions: The presence of a CN does not appear to alter the vascular composition of the adjacent or foveal choroid. These findings support CVI as a reproducible parameter in eyes with benign choroidal lesions and provide a baseline against which future studies of indeterminate melanocytic lesions and choroidal melanoma may be compared.