title: Choroidal thickness in polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy and exudative age-related macular degeneration.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare choroidal thickness between eyes with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) and eyes with age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
  
  
  METHODS
  Observational, comparative case series.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-five eyes with PCV, 14 uninvolved fellow eyes with PCV, 30 eyes with exudative AMD, 17 eyes with early AMD, and 20 eyes of age-matched normal subjects.
  
  
  METHODS
  Choroidal thickness was measured using enhanced-depth imaging optical coherence tomography. Subfoveal choroidal thickness in each eye was analyzed by measurement of the vertical distance from the Bruch's membrane to the innermost scleral layer. Nasal, superior, temporal, and inferior choroidal thicknesses, 1500 μm apart from the foveal center, were also evaluated in all eyes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Choroidal thickness in each group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean (± standard deviation) subfoveal choroidal thickness in eyes with PCV and in their uninvolved fellow eyes was 438.3±87.8 μm and 372.9±112.0 μm, respectively, which was significantly greater than in eyes of age-matched normal subjects (224.8±52.9 μm) (P<0.001 and P = 0.003, respectively). Subfoveal choroidal thickness of eyes with exudative AMD (171.2±38.5 μm) and eyes with early AMD (177.4±49.7 μm) was thinner than that of age-matched normal subjects (P = 0.004 and P = 0.078, respectively). Choroidal thickness at each of the other 4 points showed a similar tendency.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study demonstrates thickening of choroid in the eyes with PCV, in contrast with choroidal thinning observed in eyes with AMD. These findings suggest involvement of different pathogenic mechanisms in PCV from those in exudative AMD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Song Ee
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Se Woong
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Jung Hye
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Yun Taek
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000886:Anthropometry; D002829:Choroid / Q000098:blood supply / Q000473:pathology*; D020256:Choroidal Neovascularization / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004396:Coloring Agents; D005122:Exudates and Transudates; D005260:Female; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D006801:Humans; D007208:Indocyanine Green; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male; D016491:Peripheral Vascular Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D004396:Coloring Agents; D007208:Indocyanine Green