title: Selective retina therapy in patients with central serous chorioretinopathy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) is a disease with a localized breakdown of the outer blood-retinal barrier located within the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) causing subretinal fluid accumulation. Selective retina therapy (SRT) is a new, minimally invasive laser technology that has been designed to selectively target the RPE. SRT spares retinal tissue.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-seven eyes of 27 patients with active CSC were treated with SRT using a pulsed double-Q-switched Nd-YLF prototype laser (lambda=527 nm, t=1.7 micros). At baseline, best-corrected visual acuity was determined and fluorescein angiography and optical coherence tomography were performed. The patients were followed for up to 3 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After 4 weeks 85.2% of patients showed complete resolution of subretinal fluid and in 96.3% there was no leakage visible on fluorescein angiography. After 3 months 100% of patients demonstrated no subretinal fluid and 100% of patients had no leakage activity on fluorescein angiography. Visual acuity, 20/40 at baseline, improved to 20/28 after 4 weeks and to 20/20 after 3 months.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SRT is a safe and effective treatment for active CSC. Especially if the RPE leak is located close to the fovea, SRT is the favoured therapeutic option. We recommend earlier treatment of patients with acute CSC in order to prevent development of chronic changes due to CSC with irreversible anatomical and functional damage. SRT might be considered as a first-line treatment for active CSC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Hegewischstrasse 2, 24105 Kiel, Germany. helsner@ophthalmol.uni-kiel.de
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Elsner
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pörksen
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Klatt
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bunse
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Theisen-Kunde
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Brinkmann
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Birngruber
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Laqua
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Roider
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001769:Blood; D001813:Blood-Retinal Barrier; D001826:Body Fluids; D005122:Exudates and Transudates; D005260:Female; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D006801:Humans; D017075:Laser Coagulation / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures; D010857:Pigment Epithelium of Eye / Q000601:surgery*; D012164:Retinal Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014792:Visual Acuity