Abstract
Abstract: :
Purpose: To determine the clinical and angiographic findings in a retrospective consecutive series of white European patients diagnosed as affected by polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV), and to explore for possible associations with other retinal diseases. Methods: A retrospective analysis of a consecutive series of 111 eyes of 105 patients affected by PCV was performed in our clinic. Indocyanine green (ICG) angiography, fluorangiography (FA), biomicroscopy and ophthalmic examination were performed, and correlated with clinical history. Results: PCV was found coexisting with no apparent underlying retinal disorders in 33 (29.7%) eyes, with AMD in 50 (45.1%) eyes, with CSC in 22 (19.8%) eyes, and with underlying retinal diseases apart from AMD and CSC in 6 (5.4%) eyes. In eyes affected by CSC, PCV was more commonly located in the macula (p=0.042) and more frequently visible on FA (p=0.001). A higher incidence of females was found in eyes presenting with PCV coexisting with AMD (p=0.052). Conclusions: PCV is a clinical entity that should be suspected in all eyes with retinal blood and exudation of unclear origin regardless sex, race and underlying retinal disorders. ICG is the diagnostic procedure to establish a more accurate diagnosis, although hot spots in PCV must be distinguished from hot spots described in retinal angiomatous proliferation (RAP) and focal occult choroidal neovascularization (CNV).
Keywords: choroid: neovascularization