Comparison of fluorescein angiography and optical coherence tomography for patients with choroidal neovascularization after photodynamic therapy.

PURPOSE: To investigate retinal morphology by means of fluorescein angiography (FA) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) in patients who had undergone photodynamic therapy (PDT) with verteporfin at their 3-month-interval examination.

METHODS: Sixty patients with predominantly classic choroidal neovascularization (CNV) secondary to age-related macular degeneration were evaluated with FA and OCT 3 months after their last PDT. FA images were evaluated in a masked fashion for staining of and leakage from the lesion and also for cystoid loculation of fluorescein in the macula. OCT was used to evaluate foveal thickness and the presence of subretinal fluid or cystoid spaces within the retina, also in a masked fashion.

RESULTS: The median age of the 60 patients was 78 years, and the median visual acuity of the eyes examined was 20/100. The median number of previous PDT sessions was 2. Fluorescein staining was seen in 57 eyes (95%), and fluorescein leakage was seen in 50 eyes (83%). Cystoid loculation of fluorescein was seen in 21 eyes (35%). By OCT, cystoid spaces in the macula were seen in 42 patients (70%), and subretinal fluid was seen in 15 patients (25%). Leakage seen shown by FA was correlated with the OCT finding of cystoid spaces but not with the OCT finding of subretinal fluid. Some patients had leakage during FA that did not have any observable induced OCT abnormality attributable to fluid accumulation.

CONCLUSIONS: After PDT leakage from CNV seen during FA is associated with intraretinal fluid, often seen in loculated cystoid spaces, but not with subretinal fluid.