Abstract
Abstract: :
Purpose: To determine the short term effects of photodynamic therapy (PDT) of choroidal neovascularization (CNV) secondary to pathologic myopia (PM). Methods: Ten patients with subfoveal CNV due to PM underwent PDT with verteporfin. Patients were followed prospectively for a minimal follow-up of 6 months. Patients were retreated every three months if they had experienced visual deterioration and if angiographic examination demonstrated an active leaking CNV. Follow-up visits were scheduled every three months and two weeks after each PDT treatment. At each follow-up visit all patients underwent digital fluorescein and ICG angiography. To assess treatment effects we have analyzed the size of the classic component of the CNV in all angiograms. Results: During the mean follow-up time of 14 6 months we performed 30 PDT treatments. Initial visual acuity ranged form 20/125 to 20/40. At baseline the size of the CNV ranged from 0.12 to 1.34 mm2 (mean 0.76 0.4 mm2). At two weeks after initial treatment the CNV was totally occluded in 2 eyes, in 5 eyes the size of the CNV was markedly reduced, in two eye no change was noted, and in one eye the CNV increased in size. The mean size at two weeks was 0.36 0.5 mm2. At three months the mean size of the CNV was markedly increased (mean 1.56 0.9 mm2) as compared to baseline. However visual acuity was stable or increased in all patients. Re-treatment at three months resulted in a reduction of the mean CNV size to 0.50 0.7 mm2. At the last follow-up CNV size ranged from 0.09 to 9.12 mm2 (mean: 1.90 2.9 mm2). Final visual acuity ranged from 20/200 to 20/25. No patient had experienced a visual loss (≤ 3 ETDRS lines) during follow-up. Conclusion: Photodynamic therapy with Verteporfin resulted in stabilization or moderate improvement of visual acuity in all patients with PM despite increase of CNV size during follow-up.
Keywords: 516 photodynamic therapy • 481 myopia • 430 imaging/image analysis: clinical