Abstract
Purpose: :
To clarify the follow up results of PCV in Korean patients
Methods: :
A total of 74 eyes (69 patients) with PCV were followed up for a minimum 6 months with or without treatment. Eyes were classified into one of 6 types of PCV based on the initial morphologic features of polyps and vascular networks in ICG angiography: type1; typical polyp lesion, type2; clustered small polyp lesion, type3; tubular lesion, type4; radially spreading polyp lesion, type5; signet vessel lesion and type5; bead string lesion.
Results: :
Mean duration of follow up was 18.5 months (6 – 55). Mean initial visual acuities were 0.218 (0.025 – 1.0), mean final visual acuities were 0.283 (0.025 – 1.00). (paired t–test, =0.052) Of them, 45 eyes (60.8 %) undertook at least one PDT during follow up. Mean frequency of treatment was 1.93. 14 eyes received SF6 gas injection due to submacular hemorrhage during follow up. In multivariate linear regression models, initial visual acuities (p=0.001), age (p=0.003) and combined conventional CNV (p=0.009) at presentation were significantly correlated with the final visual acuities. There were significant differences between previous mentioned ICG groups in final visual acuites (Kruskal Wallis test, p=0.011), the occurrence of large hemorrhagic lesion (p=0.046) and conventional CNV (p=0.001) during follow up. There were no differences in age at presentation, sex, initial visual acuities, follow up periods and PDT.
Conclusions: :
The overall prognosis of PCV in Korea with or without treatment was not good. Initial visual acuities and age at presentation were the significant predictive factors of final visual acuities. It is also possible that a morphological classification of PCV in ICG angiography could be one of predictive factors of clinical course of PCV. Further refinement is needed to develop an inclusive and sufficiently descriptive ICG morphologic classification.
Keywords: retinal neovascularization • age-related macular degeneration • choroid: neovascularization