title: A long-term study of photodynamic therapy with verteporfin for choroidal neovascularization at the edge of chorioretinal atrophy in pathologic myopia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the effects of verteporfin photodynamic therapy (PDT) on choroidal neovascularization (CNV) at the edge of chorioretinal atrophy in eyes with pathologic myopia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty eyes of 20 consecutive patients were treated according to Verteporfin in Photodynamic Therapy criteria. The patients were divided into 3 groups based on CNV location and were followed up with clinical and fluorescein angiographic examinations to evaluate visual acuity (VA) changes and number of treatments.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean follow-up was 35 months. In group 1 (n = 8; subfoveal CNV), VA declined from 20/73 (0.56 ± 0.26 logMAR) to 20/115 (0.76 ± 0.30 logMAR; p = 0.192). In group 2 (n = 6; juxtafoveal CNV), VA improved from 20/69 (0.54 ± 0.25 logMAR) to 20/46 (0.36 ± 0.16 logMAR; p = 0.176). In group 3 (n = 6; extrafoveal CNV), VA worsened from 20/50 (0.40 ± 0.21 logMAR) to 20/91 (0.66 ± 0.49 logMAR; p = 0.292).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PDT showed inhibitory effects on myopic CNV arising at the edge of chorioretinal atrophy, especially in young adult myopic eyes with juxtafoveal neovascular membranes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Melegnano Hospital, Milan, Italy. pece.retina@mclink.it
authors.forename: Alfredo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pece
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Milani
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Isola
authors.forename: Luisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pierro
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001284:Atrophy; D020256:Choroidal Neovascularization / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D047728:Myopia, Degenerative / Q000150:complications*; D010778:Photochemotherapy; D017319:Photosensitizing Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011166:Porphyrins / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012029:Refraction, Ocular / Q000502:physiology; D012160:Retina / Q000473:pathology*; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D000077362:Verteporfin; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D017319:Photosensitizing Agents; D011166:Porphyrins; D000077362:Verteporfin