title: [Angioid streaks: fundoscopic analysis of 317 cases].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the presence of choroidal neovascularization (CN) and their sequels in patient bearing angioid streaks (AE).
  
  
  METHODS
  Case records of patients assisted from 1976 to 2006 at the Instituto Suel Abujamra located in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, were analyzed retrospectively. Age, skin color; patient complaints at the first evaluation, visual acuity, fundoscopic aspects with special attention to disciform lesions to active or scarred subretinal CN were considered.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the 317 studied patients, 163 (51.5%) were men. The average age was 57, with standard deviation of 12.4 years, minimum 11 and maximum 91 years. Regarding skin color, 209 (66.2%) were white, 91 (29.0%) were yellow, 11 (3.7%) were black, and 3 (1.1%) were mulatto. AE were bilateral in all patients; of 631 researched eyes, 348 (55.1%) had brown color AE, in 153 (24.2%) they were gray and in 124 (19.6%) reddish brown. Upon diagnosis, visual acuities measured with the Snellen chart were worse than 20/200 in 40.4% of the eyes. CN absence was proven in 103 (32.5%) patients. The unilateral lesions were present in 112 (35.3%) and bilateral lesions were present in 99 (31.2%). Regarding location, 242 (74.3%) were macular, 45 (13.8%) were extramacular and 38 (11.7%) were both macular and extramacular.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  AE are an important cause of legal blindness and can be easily bypassed in an ophthalmic routine examination in the absence of active or disciform neovascular lesions. The expressive number of these cases brings us to the importance of this study. It highlights the need for a meticulous fundoscopic examination in order to improve diagnoses of the disease and early treatment of CN.
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Medicina de Santo Amaro - UNISA - São Paulo (SP) - Brasil.
authors.forename: Suel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Abujamra
authors.forename: Alan Diego
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Negretto
authors.forename: Janaína Jamile Ferreira
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Saraceno
authors.forename: Tâmara Lopes
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.forename: André Marcelo Vieira
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Gomes
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000793:Angioid Streaks / Q000150:complications*; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D020256:Choroidal Neovascularization / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult