AIM:To measure the macular and peripapillary choroidal thickness(CT)in primary angle-closure disease(PACD)with enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography(EDI-OCT). To explore the characteristics of CT in each subtypes of PACD and to evaluate its role in the pathogenesis of PACD.

METHODS: This was a prospective clinical study. A total of 155 PACD eyes(82 patients)were enrolled in the study, including 24 PACS eyes(24 patients), 35 APAC eyes(28 patients), 38 CPAC eyes(30 patients), 58 eyes PACG(38 patients). 87 normal eyes(87 patients)were set up as control. The EDI-OCT was used to measure the macular and peripapillary choroidal thickness in all study patients.

RESULTS: PACD eyes exhibited thicker choroid than the control eyes at all macular locations(P<0.05). Choroidal thickness of PACG was thinner than other PACD eyes in area except for 3mm nasal from the fovea(P<0.05). Subfoveal choroidal thickness(SFCT)of APAC was thickest(357.17±61.49μm), followed by PACS group(318.04±56.52μm). PACG group presented the thinnest SFCT(263.55±67.87μm). The average macular CT at 1mm centered at the fovea was thinner than SFCT(P<0.05)in all subgroups except for CPAC. The average macular CT at 3mm as well as 1mm centered at the fovea was thinner than SFCT in all subgroups(P<0.05). There was no statistical differences in CT at peripapillary locations between PACD and controls groups(P>0.05).

CONCLUSION: In PACD and controls groups, the CT of subfoveal location was the thickest with decreasing thickness when moving eccentrically from the fovea. The thicker CT might be another anatomic characteristic of PACD. Increased CT in macular location might be a contributing factor of acute attacks. There was no characteristic distinction in the peripapillary CT of PACD when compared with normal controls.