{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,30]],"date-time":"2025-07-30T16:06:27Z","timestamp":1753891587745,"version":"3.41.2"},"reference-count":21,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,23]],"date-time":"2025-05-23T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1747958400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Med."],"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title><jats:p>Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by multisystem hamartomas, including retinal astrocytic hamartomas (RAHs), which are a key diagnostic criterion. This study evaluates the en face swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) and SS-OCT angiography (SS-OCTA) features of TSC-associated RAHs.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>A retrospective analysis of 10 patients with TSC-associated RAHs was conducted using en face SS-OCT, SS-OCTA, and fundus photography. Structural and vascular features of the lesions were assessed based on these imaging modalities.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>Of the 10 TSC patients, 21 RAH lesions (18 type 1, 1 type 2, 2 type 3) were completely scanned. En face SS-OCT revealed vitreous changes in 17 of the 21 RAH lesions, with clear visualization of vitreoretinal traction in 6 lesions. Type 1 RAHs appeared as isoreflective or mildly hyporeflective masses with disarrangement of retinal nerve fibers. Calcified components in type 2 or type 3 RAHs appeared differently on the en face choroid slab, with type 2 RAHs featuring closely arranged isoreflective vesicles, while type 3 RAHs appeared as sharply defined dark areas. On SS-OCTA, a dense vascular network with disorganization of the radial papillary capillaries was observed in almost all of the type 1 RAHs, with half of them exhibiting congestive intrinsic microvasculature. Feeder vessels were identified in only two type 1 lesions. Non-flow, moth-eaten cavities were characteristic of the calcified components of type 2 or type 3 RAHs. The tumor vascular density was positively correlated with tumor maximal thickness in type 1 RAHs (<jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\u202f=\u202f0.037).<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title><jats:p>En face SS-OCT provided a good display of RAH-related vitreoretinal traction and tumor calcification, while SS-OCTA, by clearly visualizing intratumoral vascularity, may assist in detecting signs of progressive tumor growth in TSC-associated RAHs.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fmed.2025.1575006","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,23]],"date-time":"2025-05-23T05:29:16Z","timestamp":1747978156000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["En face swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) and SS-OCT angiography findings of retinal astrocytic hamartomas in patients with tuberous sclerosis complex"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"12","author":[{"given":"Chen-Xi","family":"Zhang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Kai-Feng","family":"Xu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Qin","family":"Long","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Xiao","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Zhi-Kun","family":"Yang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Rong-Ping","family":"Dai","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Zhi-Qiao","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,23]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"657","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(08)61279-9","article-title":"Tuberous 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