Optical coherence tomographic angiography shows reduced deep capillary flow in paracentral acute middle maculopathy

Introduction Paracentral acute middle maculopathy (PAMM) has been described as an ischemic lesion of the middle retinal layers with a characteristic lamellar hyper-reflective placoid appearance in the acute phase and thinning of the involved retinal layers in the chronic phase. Optical coherence tomographic angiography (OCTA) is a novel and non-invasive technique for imaging retinal capillary vasculature with en face segmentation capabilities. Method Case series. We describe two patients with PAMM who underwent clinical examination and multimodal imaging including OCTA. Results In the first patient, who presented with PAMM secondary to acute cilioretinal artery occlusion, OCTA demonstrated reduction in flow in the deep capillary plexus (DCP). One month later, OCTA revealed a flow void due to thinning of the GCL, INL, and OPL and paradoxical apparent ONL thickening. Similar findings of focal retinal lamellar ectopia were seen in the second patient, who had an incidentally detected chronic PAMM lesion. Conclusions OCTA images the superficial and deep capillary plexi independently. PAMM is characterized by acute and chronic attenuation of the DCP flow signature. Focal lamellar ectopia in PAMM is discussed.