Cilioretinal artery distribution influences retinal microvascular pattern and blood flow. An in vivo OCT angiographhyb study

The retina is most often vascularized only by branches of the central retinal artery; in some cases (34.2% of individuals), one or more arteries stemming from posterior ciliary artery, vascularize the retina to a variable extent. These vessels are called cilioretinal arteries. Almost no information about the differences of microvasculature deriving from the retinal and the cilioretinal arteries is available. OCT-Angiography (OCT-A) makes it possible to visualize in vivo retinal vascular flow. Thus, we have studied the microvascular networks stemming from retinal and cilioretinal arteries by means of OCT-A both in basal conditions and during in valsalva maneuver.