Pulsatile blood flow in the polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy.
OBJECTIVE
To describe patients with pulsatile polypoidal vessels in polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV).


METHODS
Retrospective, observational case series.


METHODS
Eighty-four eyes of 74 patients with PCV.


METHODS
The medical records of patients diagnosed with PCV between 1998 and 2004 at Kagoshima University Hospital were reviewed.


METHODS
A pulsatile polypoidal vessel (PV) on indocyanine green angiography (ICGA).


RESULTS
Seven of 74 patients (9.5%) had PVs in the macula. Four eyes revealed pulsatile PVs on the day the diagnosis of PCV was first made, and PVs in the other 3 eyes showed pulsatile movement during the follow-up period. Two patterns of pulsatile movement were observed on ICGA: (1) a rhythmic variation in the caliber of a choroidal vessel (caliber variation pattern) and (2) a pulsatile blood flow in a tortuous and relatively narrow choroidal vessel (pulsatile blood flow pattern). Both patterns of pulsatile PVs appeared in the early frames of the ICGA, and some of them were observable even during the first 15 minutes after the ICG dye injection. The pulsatile movement disappeared spontaneously without treatment in some patients, and the period in which pulsatile PVs was detectable on ICGA was limited in each patient.


CONCLUSIONS
We report the features of pulsatile PV in PCV. It is a unique and important characteristic that has not been reported with any other chorioretinal diseases and may provide a clue to understanding the pathogenesis of PCV.
Okubo
Akiko
A
Department of Ophthalmology, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima, Japan. akiko@m2.kufm.kagoshima-u.ac.jp
Ito
Motoko
M
Sameshima
Munefumi
M
Uemura
Akinori
A
Sakamoto
Taiji
T
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D002829:Choroid / Q000098:blood supply*; D015862:Choroid Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004396:Coloring Agents; D005260:Female; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D006801:Humans; D007208:Indocyanine Green; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016491:Peripheral Vascular Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011673:Pulsatile Flow; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D012189:Retrospective Studies
D004396:Coloring Agents; D007208:Indocyanine Green