Retinal and choroidal changes on optical coherence tomography in pre-eclampsia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Sara KamaliZonouzi, Farbod Semnani, Sajjad Fattahniya et al.
✦ AI-curated · Sources linked
In 30 seconds
This systematic review and meta-analysis pooled observational studies comparing OCT measures in women with pre-eclampsia (PE) and control groups. Fifteen studies included 854 eyes from women with PE, 631 eyes from women with normal pregnancy, and 245 eyes from non-pregnant controls. Compared with normal pregnancy, PE was associated with a small reduction in peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (SMD: - 0.13, 95% CI: - 0.20 to - 0.06, P = 0.01, I 2 = 0%). Primary analyses found no significant differences in the assessed choroidal or central macular thickness measures.
Key findings
- Peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness was lower in PE than in normal pregnancy (SMD: - 0.13, 95% CI: - 0.20 to - 0.06, P = 0.01, I 2 = 0%).
- Primary pooled analyses found no significant differences in subfoveal, nasal, or temporal choroidal thickness, or central subfield macular thickness.
- Exploratory analyses suggested PE severity and pathological retinal changes explained some or most heterogeneity in pre-partum subfoveal choroidal thickness estimates.
Why it matters
OCT findings in PE may include subtle retinal structural differences, while choroidal and macular measures are not consistently different in primary analyses. Recognising the limited and heterogeneous evidence can help clinicians interpret imaging in the context of PE rather than treating an isolated OCT measurement as definitive evidence of ocular pathology.
What to keep in mind
The review included observational studies, and most pooled choroidal and macular analyses showed substantial to considerable heterogeneity (I 2 up to 94%).