Photodynamic Therapy of Retinal Angiomatous Proliferation

Abstract

Abstract: : Purpose: A newly recognized and distinct form of exudative age-related macular degeneration called retinal angiomatous proliferation (RAP) was recently described in the literature. At this time, there are no established treatments for this subset of exudative AMD. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the visual outcome of patients with RAP who were treated with photodynamic therapy (PDT). Methods: A retrospective case series reviewed medical records of ninety consecutive patients with AMD treated with photodynamic therapy between June and September 2001. Five patients met criteria for diagnosis of RAP based on clinical examination and angiographic studies. Results: Stable vision ( < 3 lines of loss) was achieved in four out of five eyes. Only one patient lost more than three lines of vision. At the six month follow-up examination an average loss of vision was 1.8 lines. No patient had a loss of six or more lines of vision. Conclusions: No definitive treatment for RAP is currently established. In this study, photodynamic therapy appeared to reduce the risk of visual loss in eyes with retinal angiomatous proliferation. Additional studies are necessary to further delineate safety and efficacy of PDT in retinal angiomatous proliferation.

Keywords: age-related macular degeneration • photodynamic therapy • retina