title: Photodynamic therapy in subfoveal and juxtafoveal idiopathic and postinflammatory choroidal neovascularization.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the efficacy of photodynamic therapy (PDT) in the treatment of idiopathic and inflammatory choroidal neovascularization (CNV).
  
  
  METHODS
  This study represents a non-randomized, multicentre, interventional case series. Sixteen eyes of 16 patients with classic or predominantly classic sub- and juxtafoveal idiopathic CNV and 26 eyes of 24 patients with classic or predominantly classic sub- and juxtafoveal CNV secondary to inflammatory conditions were treated with PDT with verteporfin. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) before and after PDT, the number of lines gained or lost and the number of PDT sessions were analysed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean follow-up periods were 20 months (SD 11) and 16 months (SD 9) for the idiopathic and inflammatory groups, respectively. The mean BCVA in idiopathic CNV changed from 0.63 logMAR (SD 0.37) before treatment to 0.82 logMAR (SD 0.43) after treatment (p = 0.16; Student's t-test paired data). The number of treatments performed averaged 2.1 (range 1-4, SD 0.9). The mean BCVA in postinflammatory CNV changed from 0.60 logMAR (SD 0.4) before treatment to 0.57 logMAR (SD 0.6) after treatment (p = 0.79; Student's t-test paired data). The mean number of treatments was 2.6 (range 1-6, SD 1.2).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Photodynamic therapy with verteporfin may be useful in stabilizing BCVA in patients with sub- and juxtafoveal postinflammatory CNV and subfoveal idiopathic CNV.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Miguel Hernandez University School of Medicine, Alicante, Spain. jm.ruiz@umh.es
authors.forename: José M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Ruiz-Moreno
authors.forename: Javier A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Montero
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Arias
authors.forename: Maria R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Sanabria
authors.forename: Rosa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Coco
authors.forename: Rufino
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Araiz
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gomez-Ulla
authors.forename: Alfredo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Garcia-Layana
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D020256:Choroidal Neovascularization / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D005584:Fovea Centralis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010778:Photochemotherapy; D017319:Photosensitizing Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011166:Porphyrins / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D000077362:Verteporfin; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D017319:Photosensitizing Agents; D011166:Porphyrins; D000077362:Verteporfin