{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,12]],"date-time":"2025-10-12T02:40:10Z","timestamp":1760236810391,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":30,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,12,24]],"date-time":"2021-12-24T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1640304000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Diagnostics"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Purpose: To evaluate retinal and optic nerve head (ONH) perfusion in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) before and after catheter ablation of AF with pulmonary vein isolation (PVI). Methods: 34 eyes of 34 patients with AF and 35 eyes of 35 healthy subjects were included in this study. Flow density data were obtained using spectral-domain OCT-A (RTVue XR Avanti with AngioVue, Optovue, Inc, Fremont, California, USA). The data of the superficial and deep vascular layers of the macula and the ONH (radial peripapillary capillary network, RPC) before and after PVI were extracted and analysed. Results: The flow density in the superficial OCT-angiogram (whole en face) and the ONH (RPC) in patients with AF was significantly lower compared to healthy controls (OCT-A superficial: study group: 48.77 (45.19; 52.12)%; control group: 53.01 (50.00; 54.25)%; p &lt; 0.001; ONH: study group: 51.82 (48.41; 54.03)%; control group: 56.00 (54.35; 57.70)%; p &lt; 0.001;). The flow density in the ONH (RPC) improved significantly in the study group following PVI (before: 51.82 (48.41; 54.03)%; after: 52.49 (50.34; 55.62)%; p = 0.007). Conclusions: Patients with AF showed altered ocular perfusion as measured using OCTA when compared with healthy controls. Rhythm control using PVI significantly improved ocular perfusion as measured using OCT-A. Non-contact imaging using OCTA provides novel information about the central global microperfusion of patients with AF.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/diagnostics12010038","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,12,27]],"date-time":"2021-12-27T01:00:54Z","timestamp":1640566854000},"page":"38","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4,"title":["Improvement of Retinal Microcirculation after Pulmonary Vein Isolation in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation\u2014An Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"12","author":[{"given":"Philipp S.","family":"Lange","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Electrophysiology, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, University Hospital Muenster, D-48149 Muenster, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Natasa","family":"Mihailovic","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology, Hospital Fulda, University of Marburg, Campus Fulda, D-36043 Fulda, Germany"},{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology, University of Muenster Medical Center, D-48149 Muenster, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Eliane","family":"Esser","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology, University of Muenster Medical Center, D-48149 Muenster, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1431-9886","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Gerrit","family":"Frommeyer","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Electrophysiology, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, University Hospital Muenster, D-48149 Muenster, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Alicia J.","family":"Fischer","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Electrophysiology, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, University Hospital Muenster, D-48149 Muenster, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Niklas","family":"Bode","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Electrophysiology, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, University Hospital Muenster, D-48149 Muenster, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Dennis","family":"H\u00f6wel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Electrophysiology, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, University Hospital Muenster, D-48149 Muenster, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Friederike","family":"Rosenberger","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology, University of Muenster Medical Center, D-48149 Muenster, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Nicole","family":"Eter","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology, University of Muenster Medical Center, D-48149 Muenster, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Lars","family":"Eckardt","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Electrophysiology, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, University Hospital Muenster, D-48149 Muenster, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Larissa","family":"Lahme","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology, University of Muenster Medical Center, D-48149 Muenster, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Maged","family":"Alnawaiseh","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology, Hospital Fulda, University of Marburg, Campus Fulda, D-36043 Fulda, Germany"},{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology, University of Muenster Medical Center, D-48149 Muenster, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,12,24]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"373","DOI":"10.1093\/eurheartj\/ehaa612","article-title":"2020 ESC Guidelines for the diagnosis and management of atrial fibrillation developed in collaboration with the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS)","volume":"42","author":"Hindricks","year":"2021","journal-title":"Eur. 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