PURPOSE: To detect patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) who experience retinal pigment epithelium tears after initial verteporfin therapy combined with intravitreal triamcinolone during early follow-up. DESIGN: Prospective interventional case series. METHODS: Forty-five consecutive patients with choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in AMD were treated with verteporfin therapy combined with 4 mg of intravitreal triamcinolone. Optical coherence tomography (OCT), visual acuity, and fluorescein angiography were performed. RESULTS: Two eyes with a predominantly classic CNV developed a retinal pigment epithelium tear. An early onset tear could be differentiated from a delayed onset tear. OCT showed an increased depth signal in areas of missing retinal pigment epithelium and a wavy, contracted, and elevated retinal pigment epithelium band. CONCLUSIONS: Retinal pigment epithelium tears can occur despite adding intravitreal triamcinolone to verteporfin therapy. OCT shows characteristic changes in the evolution of retinal pigment epithelium tears after combination therapy.
PURPOSE: To detect patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) who experience retinal pigment epithelium tears after initial verteporfin therapy combined with intravitreal triamcinolone during early follow-up. DESIGN: Prospective interventional case series. METHODS: Forty-five consecutive patients with choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in AMD were treated with verteporfin therapy combined with 4 mg of intravitreal triamcinolone. Optical coherence tomography (OCT), visual acuity, and fluorescein angiography were performed. RESULTS: Two eyes with a predominantly classic CNV developed a retinal pigment epithelium tear. An early onset tear could be differentiated from a delayed onset tear. OCT showed an increased depth signal in areas of missing retinal pigment epithelium and a wavy, contracted, and elevated retinal pigment epithelium band. CONCLUSIONS: Retinal pigment epithelium tears can occur despite adding intravitreal triamcinolone to verteporfin therapy. OCT shows characteristic changes in the evolution of retinal pigment epithelium tears after combination therapy.
Authors: M Gutfleisch; B Heimes; M Schumacher; M Dietzel; A Lommatzsch; A Bird; D Pauleikhoff Journal: Eye (Lond) Date: 2011-06-24 Impact factor: 3.775