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Expert consensus on fundus fluorescein angiography reporting in ophthalmology: a Delphi study.

The British journal of ophthalmology

Authors: Roshan Karri, David C Sousa, Xavier Hadoux, Salmaan Al-Qureshi, C Alex Harper, Amy C Cohn, Xavier J Fagan, Elaine Chong, Thomas L Edwards, Ming-Lee Lin, Sanjeewa Wickremasinghe, Daniel Chiu, Jennifer J Arnold, Anthony S Kwan, Thomas Gordon Campbell, Shane R Durkin, Hemal Mehta, Samantha Fraser-Bell, Hessom Razavi, Jean-François Korobelnik, Paolo Lanzetta, Frank G Holz, Chui Ming Gemmy Cheung, David S Boyer, Chandrakumar Balaratnasingam, Penelope J Allen, Lyndell L Lim, Robyn Guymer, Peter Van Wijngaarden

PURPOSE: Fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA) is an important tool in evaluating retinal vascular disease. In the era of optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA), however, expert preferences regarding the comparative utility of FFA and OCTA remain unclear. Additionally, despite FFA's widespread use, variability exists in the terminology used to describe angiographic findings. This study aimed to establish expert consensus on clinical indications for FFA versus OCTA and to provide consensus definitions of key angiographic terms.

METHODS: Using a two-round modified Delphi process, 25 retinal subspecialists provided perspectives on the clinical indications for FFA in the assessment of a range of retinal vascular conditions. They also evaluated proposed definitions for FFA findings in retinal vascular diseases. Consensus was defined as ≥80% agreement and near consensus as 70%-79%.

RESULTS: Experts agreed that FFA is preferable for the diagnosis of retinal vasculitis, ocular ischaemic syndrome and proliferative diabetic retinopathy, even when OCTA is available. Furthermore, FFA was the favoured imaging modality to guide laser photocoagulation in branch retinal vein occlusion. Conversely, FFA was considered non-essential in evaluating neovascular age-related macular degeneration and mild-to-moderate non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy. Finally, definitions were agreed on for seven FFA terms used in the evaluation of retinal vascular diseases. These were , , , , , and .

CONCLUSION: This study presents contemporary perspectives on the clinical indications for FFA in an era in which OCT and OCTA are widely available. It also provides a lexicon for FFA reporting in retinal vascular diseases based on expert consensus.

© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2026. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ Group.

PMID: 42082325