Macular translocation in patients with recurrent subfoveal choroidal neovascularization after laser photocoagulation for nonsubfoveal choroidal neovascularization.

PURPOSE: To report visual outcomes and to examine surgical factors affecting outcomes in patients undergoing macular translocation for recurrent subfoveal choroidal neovascularization after laser photocoagulation for nonsubfoveal choroidal neovascularization.

DESIGN: Retrospective, noncomparative, interventional case series.

PARTICIPANTS: A consecutive series of 31 eyes of 29 patients who underwent macular translocation for recurrent subfoveal choroidal neovascularization after laser photocoagulation for nonsubfoveal choroidal neovascularization.

INTERVENTION: Inferior macular translocation with punctate retinotomy performed by a single surgeon.

OUTCOME MEASURES: Surgical and visual outcomes at 3 and 6 months after surgery and complications data are reported. Associations between surgical factors and visual outcomes were analyzed statistically.

RESULTS: Effective translocation was achieved in 77.4% of eyes. At 6 months, 54% of eyes achieved visual acuity (VA) better than 20/100, and 46% of eyes gained the equivalent of > or =2 Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study lines of vision. No association between size of recurrent choroidal neovascularization and visual outcome was identified. Eyes with a larger scar size experienced lower VA at 3 and 6 months, but scar size was not associated with change in VA at 3 and 6 months. Subretinal dissection during surgery to detach the macula was required in 8 of 31 eyes and was associated with a significantly increased incidence of peripheral retinal breaks. However, there was no difference in either VA or change in VA in eyes with and without subretinal dissection. Retinal detachment (RD) occurred in 6 of 31 eyes. No significant difference in the RD rate was observed between groups with or without subretinal dissection (P = 0.30).

CONCLUSION: Our pilot data suggest that macular translocation can result in favorable surgical outcomes in patients with recurrent subfoveal choroidal neovascularization after laser photocoagulation for nonsubfoveal choroidal neovascularization. Use of subretinal dissection intraoperatively in these patients does not seem to affect visual outcome adversely, but may be associated with increased risk of peripheral retinal breaks.