Abstract
Abstract: :
Purpose: To review all photodynamic therapy (PDT) cases for age related macular degeneration at a tertiary care centre and to identify angiographic criteria that may be predictive for improvements in visual acuity. Methods: Consecutive case series (119) of all PDT treatments from April 2000 until December 2001, assessing visual acuity and demographics. Pre- and post-treatment in vitro fluorescein angiograms will be reviewed in a masked fashion by retina subspecialists. Results: 119 patients treated of whom 89 have at least 3 months follow-up. Mean age is 78 years, 59.7% are female. Post-treatment, 12 of 89 (13%) have 3 or more lines imcreased visual acuity, 8 (9%) have 2 lines increased visual acuity, 34 (38%) have maintained pre-treatment visual acuity, 15 (17%) have 2 lines decreased visual acuity, and 22(25%) have 3 or more lines decreased visual acuity. Mean follow-up is 9 months. Mean age for those who improved by 3 or more lines was 74 versus 78 for the other groups, but this was not statistically significant (p≷0.05). Conclusion: Results to date indicate that 22% of patients undergoing photodynamic therapy for choroidal neovascular membranes in age related macular degeneration have at least a 2 line improvement in visual acuity, while 42% suffer at least a 2 line decrease in vision. Angiographic data will be presented at the meeting.
Keywords: 308 age-related macular degeneration • 516 photodynamic therapy