Abstract
Abstract: :
Purpose: To assess the efficacy of transpupillary treatment (TTT) for the treatment of occult choroidal neovascularization (CNV). Methods: A prospective, non randomized, study of 45 eyes of 45 patients with occult CNV due to age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Occult CNV were defined with fluorescein and indocyanine green angiography prior to treatment. ETDRS visual acuity ranged from 20/200 to 20/40. TTT was applied with a 810nm diode laser. Laser beam size ranged from 2500 to 4000 µm and power settings between 450 to 800mW. Treatment was given for 1 minute. No visible color change of the retina was seen at the end of the treatment. The visual outcomes and the size of the lesion were evaluated at 3 month. A visual acuity change of 2 lines (10 letters) in the ETDRS chart was considered clinically significant. Results: No eyes demonstrated any retinal scar. Visual acuity remained unchanged in more than 60% of the eyes, even if the CNV membrane remained partly persistent. Visual outcomes were better when the size of the membrane was less than 3000 µm. Conclusion: Despite limited follow-up, TTT seems to preserve visual acuity in cases of AMD with occult CNV. Our preliminary results suggest that occult CNV must be treated early, when the size of the neovascular membrane is small. Ongoing trials are needed to compare TTT with the natural history of occult CNV.
Keywords: 308 age-related macular degeneration • 483 neovascularization