Abstract
Abstract: :
Purpose:To observe the nature course and the prognosis of visual acuity of polypoidal choroidal vasculopaty (PCV) in Chinese patients. Methods: Seventeen eyes of 13 consecutive patients with PCV were prospectively followed up in Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center for at least 3 months without laser photocoagulation or photodynamic therapy between June1997 and December 1999. All patients underwent complete ophthalmologic examination, color fundus photography, fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA), and indocyanine green angiography (ICGA) at regular intervals. The PCV were diagnosis when branching chorodial vessels with polyplike terminal aneurysmal dilations or scattered polypoidal dilations without identifiable continuous branching vascular network with ICGA. Results: The follow–up period ranged from 3 to 53 months (mean 24.3 months). Ten patients (76.9%) were male. The affected eyes were unilateral in 9 patients (69.3%), and polypoidal vascular lesions were located at the macula in 9 eyes (52.9%) and in the temporal vascular arcade in 5 eyes (29.4%). Among the 17 eyes, the visual acuity was more than 0.3 in 5 (29.4%), between 0.1 and 0.2 in 6 (35.3%) and less than 0.1 in 6 (35.3%) at the initial examination. The visual acuity was improved in 2 (11.8%), stable in 9 (52.9%) and regressed in 6 (35.3%) during the follow–up Only 1 eye (5.9%) developed to macular scar. ICGA revealed the polypoidal choroidal lesions unchanged in 4 eyes (23.5%), regressed in 2 eyes (11.8%), grew in 5 eyes (29.4%), and grew and spontaneously regressed in 6 eyes (35.3%). Conclusion:the visual prognosis of PCV was variable greatly in Chinese patients. The polypoidal choroidal lesions were mainly located in the macula and temporal vascular arcade, and repeatedly grew and spontaneously regressed in the natural course.
Keywords: age–related macular degeneration • clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: natural history • visual acuity