Abstract
Purpose: :
To compare the utility of fluorescein angiography (FA) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) as diagnostic adjuncts in evaluating symptomatic patients with choroidal neovascularization (CNV) due to multifocal choroiditis (MFC).
Methods: :
Patients with CNV due to MFC were retrospectively evaluated in a consecutive fashion. Fundus photography, FA, OCT and biomicroscopy were used to establish the diagnosis. Primary outcome measures included CNV classification (type 1 or occult and type 2 or classic) and the associated FA and OCT findings.
Results: :
Twenty eyes from seventeen patients were included in the study. In 19 eyes (95%) the FA revealed CNV type 2; in one eye (5%) the type of CNV was indeterminate due to a subretinal hemorrhage that covered the lesion. The OCT images revealed a hyperreflectance beneath the neurosensory retina in all eyes but only 53.8% of them revealed evidence of subretinal fluid (SRF) or intraretinal cystic abnormalities.
Conclusions: :
The CNV in MFC is virtually always type 2 or classic, with vessels beneath the neurosensory retina. Except when blocked by subretinal blood, the neovascularization is clearly demonstrated by FA. In contrast, only 53.8% of these eyes showed clear evidence of actively proliferating neovascularization on OCT. Therefore, eyes suspected of having CNV in MFC should be evaluated with FA.
Keywords: imaging methods (CT, FA, ICG, MRI, OCT, RTA, SLO, ultrasound) • choroid: neovascularization • imaging/image analysis: clinical