Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41636835›Full record

SynthesisGraefe's archive for clinical and experimental ophthalmology = Albrecht von Graefes Archiv fur klinische und experimentelle Ophthalmologie2026

Retinal microvascular alterations in sickle cell disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis of OCTA findings based on genotype and stages of retinopathy.

Mobina Amanollahi, Mehrdad Mozafar, Hossein Farrokhpour, Mahdi Gouravani, Reza Samiee, Fatemeh Amiri, Saeid Rezaei, Saeid Rasouli, Melika Jameie, Negar Mozafar and 2 more

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Graefe's archive for clinical and experimental ophthalmology = Albrecht von Graefes Archiv fur klinische und experimentelle Ophthalmologie, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Mobina AmanollahiTranslational Ophthalmology Research Center, Farabi Eye Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Mehrdad MozafarDepartment of General, Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, Shohada Tajrish Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Hossein FarrokhpourTranslational Ophthalmology Research Center, Farabi Eye Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Mahdi GouravaniMusculoskeletal Imaging Research Center (MIRC), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Reza SamieeTranslational Ophthalmology Research Center, Farabi Eye Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Fatemeh AmiriSchool of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Saeid RezaeiEye and Skull Base Research Centers, The Five Senses Institute, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Saeid RasouliWilmer Eye Institute, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Melika JameieNeuroscience Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Negar MozafarSchool of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Elias Khalili PourTranslational Ophthalmology Research Center, Farabi Eye Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Alice Yang ZhangDepartment of Ophthalmology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2226 Nelson Hwy Suite 220, Chapel Hill, NC, 27517, USA. Alice_zhang@med.unc.edu.ORCID 0000-0001-5194-5256

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeSickle cell disease (SCD) is one of the most prevalent genetic disorders that notably impacts the retinal microvasculature. This study aims to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies on optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) measurements in SCD.

methodsA systematic search was performed through PubMed and Embase from the earliest record until July 2024. Data extraction was performed considering the important characteristics of the studies’ populations (e.g., genotype and sickle cell retinopathy (SCR)) and OCTA measurements (e.g., vessel density (VD) and foveal avascular zone (FAZ)). Quantitative synthesis was conducted on the metrics assessed in at least two studies with comparable study populations.

resultsThirty-one studies were included. There was a significant increase in FAZ in SCD patients compared to the controls (Hedge’s g = 0.72, CI = 0.43 to 1.01, p < 0.001). However, the superficial capillary plexus (SCP) VD showed no significant differences for the foveal, parafoveal area, and each parafoveal sector, except for a lower VD in the temporal parafoveal area in SCD compared to the control (Hedge’s g = -0.58, CI = -0.99 to -0.18, p = 0.01). Meta-analysis revealed significantly smaller values for deep capillary plexus (DCP) VD in all parafoveal subregions (p < 0.05), except for the inferior, in patients than in controls. Concerning genotype differences, whole DCP VD (but not SCP VD) was significantly lower in the hemoglobin SS (HbSS) genotype than in controls (Hedge’s g = -1.51, CI = -2.33 to -0.68, p < 0.001). Meta-analysis demonstrated a nonsignificant increase in FAZ size in HbSC compared to HbSS (Hedge’s g = -0.19, CI = -0.63 to 0.25, P = 0.39).

conclusionThis review demonstrates retinal microvasculature alterations in SCD patients, affected by SCR and the disease genotype. The changes were more notable in the temporal subfield, aligning with reported temporal retinal thinning. DCP appeared more susceptible to ischemia than SCP, with stronger changes in HbSS. Heterogeneity in OCTA parameters, genotype distribution, and SCR stage limited conducting meta-analysis on all studies. Future studies should encompass different standardized OCTA parameters and SCD populations regarding SCR and genotype.

Indexed as

Anemia, Sickle CellFluorescein AngiographyMicrovesselsRetinal DiseasesRetinal VesselsTomography, Optical CoherenceFundus OculiGenotypeHumansMeta-analysisOptical coherence tomography angiographyRetinaRetinal vascular diseaseSickle cell diseaseSickle cell retinopathy

Identifiers

PMID41636835

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.