BACKGROUND: To investigate the diagnostic value of choroidal thickness in the definition of pachychoroid neovasculopathy (PNV), especially in eyes treated with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy. METHODS: Twenty-two consecutive eyes of 11 patients with uni- or bilateral PNV were analyzed. Anti-VEGF treatment was correlated with changes in choroidal thickness on enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography. RESULTS: There were 14 eyes with PNV and 8 non-neovascular partner eyes. Mean age was 64.2 ± 4.0 (range: 60-72), total follow-up was 1.8 ± 0.4 (1-2) years. In PNV eyes, choroidal thickness at baseline was 400 ± 58 (269-485) μm. After two years and 13 anti-VEGF injections on average, a mean reduction of - 39 ± 10 (- 26 to - 56) % to final 241 ± 52 (162-327) μm was observed (p < 0.0001). Meanwhile, choroidal thickness in the partner eyes remained stable (p > 0.13 for all comparisons). A significant correlation of choroidal thinning and anti-VEGF injection rate was observed at year one (r = - 0.79; R2 = 0.63; p = 0.00073) and two (r = - 0.69; R2 = 0.48; p = 0.019). While 85.7% of PNV eyes exceeded a pachychoroid threshold of ≥350 μm at baseline, this figure dropped to 21.4% at year one and 0% at year two. CONCLUSION: In PNV, choroidal thickness significantly decreases with anti-VEGF therapy, resembling a "vanishing pachy-choroid", and thus does not represent a valid long-term diagnostic criterium, especially when differentiating PNV from nAMD.
BACKGROUND: To investigate the diagnostic value of choroidal thickness in the definition of pachychoroid neovasculopathy (PNV), especially in eyes treated with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy. METHODS: Twenty-two consecutive eyes of 11 patients with uni- or bilateral PNV were analyzed. Anti-VEGF treatment was correlated with changes in choroidal thickness on enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography. RESULTS: There were 14 eyes with PNV and 8 non-neovascular partner eyes. Mean age was 64.2 ± 4.0 (range: 60-72), total follow-up was 1.8 ± 0.4 (1-2) years. In PNV eyes, choroidal thickness at baseline was 400 ± 58 (269-485) μm. After two years and 13 anti-VEGF injections on average, a mean reduction of - 39 ± 10 (- 26 to - 56) % to final 241 ± 52 (162-327) μm was observed (p < 0.0001). Meanwhile, choroidal thickness in the partner eyes remained stable (p > 0.13 for all comparisons). A significant correlation of choroidal thinning and anti-VEGF injection rate was observed at year one (r = - 0.79; R2 = 0.63; p = 0.00073) and two (r = - 0.69; R2 = 0.48; p = 0.019). While 85.7% of PNV eyes exceeded a pachychoroid threshold of ≥350 μm at baseline, this figure dropped to 21.4% at year one and 0% at year two. CONCLUSION: In PNV, choroidal thickness significantly decreases with anti-VEGF therapy, resembling a "vanishing pachy-choroid", and thus does not represent a valid long-term diagnostic criterium, especially when differentiating PNV from nAMD.
Authors: Wen Bin Wei; Liang Xu; Jost B Jonas; Lei Shao; Kui Fang Du; Shuang Wang; Chang Xi Chen; Jie Xu; Ya Xing Wang; Jin Qiong Zhou; Qi Sheng You Journal: Ophthalmology Date: 2012-09-23 Impact factor: 12.079
Authors: Marco Antonio Bonini Filho; Talisa E de Carlo; Daniela Ferrara; Mehreen Adhi; Caroline R Baumal; Andre J Witkin; Elias Reichel; Jay S Duker; Nadia K Waheed Journal: JAMA Ophthalmol Date: 2015-08 Impact factor: 7.389
Authors: Philip J Rosenfeld; David M Brown; Jeffrey S Heier; David S Boyer; Peter K Kaiser; Carol Y Chung; Robert Y Kim Journal: N Engl J Med Date: 2006-10-05 Impact factor: 91.245
Authors: Sarah Mrejen; Chandrakumar Balaratnasingam; Talia R Kaden; Alexander Bottini; Kunal Dansingani; Kavita V Bhavsar; Nicolas A Yannuzzi; Samir Patel; Kevin C Chen; Suqin Yu; Guillaume Stoffels; Richard F Spaide; K Bailey Freund; Lawrence A Yannuzzi Journal: Ophthalmology Date: 2019-01-17 Impact factor: 12.079
Authors: Chui Ming Gemmy Cheung; Won Ki Lee; Hideki Koizumi; Kunal Dansingani; Timothy Y Y Lai; K Bailey Freund Journal: Eye (Lond) Date: 2018-07-11 Impact factor: 3.775