title: Photodynamic therapy with verteporfin in polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy: results after 3 years of follow-up.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of verteporfin photodynamic therapy on the treatment of polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective, nonrandomized institutional study was conducted involving 42 eyes of 38 patients with newly diagnosed symptomatic polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy treated exclusively with photodynamic therapy. Twenty-seven eyes completed 3 years of follow-up. Subjects were observed every 3 months with evaluation of best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), retinography, and fluorescein and indocyanine green angiography. Treatment was given whenever the patient exhibited subfoveal exudation on fluorescein angiography.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean BCVA was 0.91 +/- 0.33 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution on the initial visit and 0.93 +/- 0.39 on the 36-month visit. Patients were submitted to an average of 3.19 treatment sessions. On the final evaluation at 36 months, 14.8% of the treated eyes improved their BCVA by at least 0.3 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution, 74.1% had no significant loss of BCVA, and 25.9% lost >or=0.3 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution. Recurrences were frequent (59.3% of the eyes at 3 years of follow-up), responded well to retreatment, and were not associated with additional BCVA loss.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Photodynamic therapy remains a good option for management of polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy. After 3 years, approximately three fourths of the treated eyes had no significant loss of vision, and 14.8% showed significant improvement in visual acuity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal. sergiosilvaleal@gmail.com
authors.forename: Sérgio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Leal
authors.forename: Rufino
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: João
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Figueira
authors.forename: M Luz
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Cachulo
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pires
authors.forename: José Rui Faria
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: de Abreu
authors.forename: José Guilherme
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Cunha-Vaz
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002829:Choroid / Q000098:blood supply*; D015862:Choroid Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004396:Coloring Agents; D005260:Female; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007208:Indocyanine Green; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016491:Peripheral Vascular Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D010778:Photochemotherapy; D017319:Photosensitizing Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011166:Porphyrins / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012008:Recurrence; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D000077362:Verteporfin; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D004396:Coloring Agents; D017319:Photosensitizing Agents; D011166:Porphyrins; D000077362:Verteporfin; D007208:Indocyanine Green