title: Treatment of polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy with photodynamic therapy. 2002.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the effects of photodynamic therapy using verteporfin in the treatment of patients with subfoveal polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV).
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective chart review of 16 consecutive patients with subfoveal PCV treated with photodynamic therapy using verteporfin was performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age of the patients involved was 70.5 years. The mean follow-up time was 12 months. The visual acuity improved in 9 (56.3 %), remained the same in 5 (31.3 %), and decreased in 2 (12.5 %). The mean change in visual acuity was an improvement of 2.38 lines, a difference that was highly significant (P = 0.004). The change in visual acuity was negatively correlated with increasing age. The final visual acuity was positively correlated with initial acuity and negatively correlated with age. These results were confirmed by multiple linear regression. No patient had any lasting complication from the treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Subfoveal PCV has no proven method of treatment. Although the follow-up time and the number of patients in this pilot study were limited, the encouraging results and lack of complications suggest that further study is indicated.
authors.forename: Richard F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Spaide
authors.forename: Irene
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Donsoff
authors.forename: Deborah L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Lam
authors.forename: Lawrence A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Yannuzzi
authors.forename: Lee M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Jampol
authors.forename: Jason
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Slakter
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sorenson
authors.forename: K Bailey
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Freund
mesh_terms: D015862:Choroid Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000266:history*; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D016491:Peripheral Vascular Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000266:history*; D010778:Photochemotherapy / Q000266:history*; D011127:Polyps / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000266:history*