Caner Öztürk, Mustafa Duran, Selim Cevher, Mehmet Barış Üçer, Gülce Gökgöz Özışık
Retina-Vitreus - 2025;34(4):319-326
Purpose: To compare choroidal thickness (CT) and the choroidal vascularity index (CVI) between underweight children and age-matched peers with normal body mass index (BMI), and to explore potential associations between BMI and choroidal parameters. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 72 children (35 underweight, 37 normal weight) who underwent enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT). CT was measured at subfoveal, 1000 mum nasal, and 1000 mum temporal locations. Image binarization in ImageJ software was used to calculate total choroidal area (TCA), luminal area (LA), stromal area (SA), CVI (LA/TCA), and LA/SA ratio. Group comparisons and correlations between BMI and choroidal parameters were performed. Results: There were no significant differences between the groups in terms of age, sex, axial length, or intraocular pressure (p > 0.05). TCA, LA, and SA were significantly higher in underweight children than in controls (p < 0.001 for all), whereas CT, CVI, and LA/SA ratios did not differ significantly between groups (p > 0.05). BMI showed significant negative correlations with subfoveal CT (r = -0.236, p = 0.040), TCA (r = -0.457, p < 0.001), LA (r = -0.414, p < 0.001), and SA (r = -0.475, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Underweight children demonstrated increased choroidal structural areas (TCA, LA, SA), while CVI remained unchanged, suggesting a proportional increase in both vascular and stromal components. These findings indicate that BMI may influence choroidal structure, although the vascular-stromal balance appears to be preserved.
