Original articlePhotodynamic Therapy With Verteporfin for Juxtafoveal Choroidal Neovascularization in Pathologic Myopia: A Long-term Follow-up Study
Section snippets
Patients and methods
We prospectively followed a consecutive series of 51 patients (52 eyes) with PM who underwent verteporfin PDT for juxtafoveal CNV. CNV was classified as juxtafoveal, if the lesion was closer than 200 μm but not under the geometric center of the FAZ, through a procedure similar to that described in a previous publication.4
Patients’ inclusion criteria were: (1) highly myopic eyes with a refractive error ≥ 6 diopters, (2) posterior pole myopic changes (lacquer cracks, chorioretinal atrophy,
Results
This study considered 48 patients (49 eyes), 16 men and 32 women, treated with verteporfin therapy for juxtafoveal CNV in PM. Mean age at the initial examination was 55.5 (SD 13.5) years with a median of 53 years (range, 29 to 80 years). Mean refractive error was −13.2 diopters (SD 4.1) with a median of −14 diopters (range, −6.00 to −22.00 diopters).
The mean follow-up was 32.1 (SD 16.1) months with a median of 36 months (range, 12 to 56 months). The mean Snellen VA at baseline was 20/55 (logMAR
Discussion
Previous prospective clinical trials have shown that the most widely used treatment for myopic CNV is laser photocoagulation when fluorescein angiography reveals lesions outside the geometric center of the FAZ. This is the only technique shown to have a significant benefit in selected patient populations.2, 4, 12, 13
However, the drawback of laser therapy in the treatment of juxtafoveal CNV is the potential for foveolar damage that could result by an expansion of thermal radiation toward
Alfredo Pece, MD, an Ophthalmologist who spent 20 years in Milan, Italy, at the San Raffaele Hospital, as director of the Macula Service. In 2000, Dr Pece served as the Chief of Melegnano Hospital, Milano, Italy. He is a member of the major scientific associations such as the Macula Society, Retina Society, and Club Gonin. Dr Pece’s research interests are the diagnosis of chorioretinal diseases, retinal imaging, macular diseases, laser applications, and photodynamic therapy (PDT). He is also an
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Alfredo Pece, MD, an Ophthalmologist who spent 20 years in Milan, Italy, at the San Raffaele Hospital, as director of the Macula Service. In 2000, Dr Pece served as the Chief of Melegnano Hospital, Milano, Italy. He is a member of the major scientific associations such as the Macula Society, Retina Society, and Club Gonin. Dr Pece’s research interests are the diagnosis of chorioretinal diseases, retinal imaging, macular diseases, laser applications, and photodynamic therapy (PDT). He is also an author of 216 papers and 5 Books.