Abstract
Purpose :
To report on a spectrum of patients with cilioretinal angiomatous proliferation (CRAP), a special form of choroidal neovascularization (CNV) type 3 where the feeding arteriole emerges from the cilioretinal artery (CRA) i.e. from the choroidal circulation.
Methods :
102 eyes of 102 patients previously diagnosed with CNV type 3 were reviewed to verify the existence of CRA. The diagnosis of CNV type 3 based on multimodal imaging including color fundus images, fluorescein angiography (FA), and optical coherence tomography at the Vienna Reading Center by an experienced retina specialist. Whereas, the diagnosis of CRA depended on FA by observing an artery turning round the temporal edge of the disc during the choroidal filling phase. The number and type of other CNV lesions in each CRAP case were determined.
Results :
We found 12 CRAP cases (12%), and 7 cases (7%) of usual CNV type 3 accompanied with normal CRA. The number of CNV lesions in each CRAP case was as follows: 10 cases with one CRAP lesion (two of them had also usual CNV type 3 lesion), 2 cases with two CRAP lesions (one of both had also usual CNV type 3 lesion). No CRAP cases with accompanying CNV type 1 or 2 were found.
Conclusions :
We describe case series of CRAP. The CRAP presents 12% of CNV type 3 lesions. It can be solitary or multiple, isolated or accompanied with usual CNV type 3 lesions, but not with CNV type 1 or 2. Further studies are needed to determine the possible predisposing role of CRA to develop neovascularization.
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2018 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Honolulu, Hawaii, April 29 - May 3, 2018.