Optical coherence tomographic features of macular telangiectasia type 2: Korean Macular Telangiectasia Type 2 Study-Report No. 1

Abstract

We analysed the imaging findings of macular telangiectasia (MacTel) type 2 in Korea using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and investigated their relationship with visual acuity and clinical stages. A retrospective multicentre cross-sectional study was conducted in six tertiary hospitals in Korea and included 129 patients. We analysed all the SD-OCT images encompassing the macular area. Hyporeflective cavities (77.7%) were the most frequently detected abnormalities in SD-OCT. Disruption of the external limiting membrane, ellipsoid zone, and interdigitation zone were found in 67 (40.4%), 87 (52.4%), and 94 eyes (56.6%), respectively. Four eyes (2.4%) had lamellar macular hole, and five eyes (3.0%) full-thickness macular hole. Neovascularisation, either subretinal or intraretinal, was found in 14 eyes (8.4%). Eyes with outer retinal hyperreflective band disruption had lower visual acuity than those without them. The presented characteristic clinical features of OCT in MacTel type 2 can not only aid in differentiating this disease from others but are also helpful for better judgement of the disease stage in daily clinical practice. Inner retinal hyporeflective cavities without outer retinal abnormalities on SD-OCT, although classified as severity scale 3, could be considered a relatively early stage in the disease process in terms of vision.