MORPHOLOGICAL AND ANATOMICAL FEATURES OF TYPE 1 MACULAR NEOVASCULARIZATION TRUNKS IN AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION USING OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY ANGIOGRAPHY.

PURPOSE To evaluate the morphological features of macular neovascularization (MNV) trunks at different layers using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). METHODS Type 1 MNV trunks in age-related macular degeneration were retrospectively evaluated at the sub-retinal pigment epithelium (subRPE) and sub-Bruch's membrane (subBM) layers. The detectability and location of the trunks were compared. MNV trunks at the subBM layer on OCTA b-scans were evaluated using a flow overlay. The correlations of the MNV trunk with OCTA and OCT parameters were evaluated. RESULTS Among the 63 included eyes, 27 showed core vessels at the subRPE layer and 52 showed MNV trunks at the subBM layer, which were connected with the MNV at the subRPE layer. The locations of the MNV trunks in each layer were different. MNV trunk types at the subBM layer were related to disease duration, distance from the large choroidal vessels, and MNV vessel density. The large choroidal vessel diameter was correlated with the MNV trunk diameter at the subBM layer. CONCLUSION MNV trunks at the subBM layer were detected more frequently than distal MNV trunks at the subRPE layer. MNV trunk features at the subBM layer may be related to disease duration and a large choroidal vessel.