title: Polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy and history of central serous chorioretinopathy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the possible causative role of central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) in the development of exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
  
  
  METHODS
  In a cross-sectional study at an institutional setting, 150 control subjects who had senile cataract or nasolacrimal duct stenosis and who were older than 50 years were enrolled. The background data for 89 patients with typical AMD (tAMD) and 138 patients with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) were used for comparison. Their medical records were taken for history of CSC, hypertension, systemic steroid use, and smoking. The fundus was also evaluated for signs of atrophic retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) tract and for focal photocoagulation scars in the macula.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After adjusting for age, gender, and history of hypertension, systemic steroid use, and smoking, history of CSC was significantly more frequent (P<0.0001) in patients with PCV (15 patients, 10.9%) compared with patients with tAMD (2 patients, 2.2%) or control subjects (0 patients). On fundoscopy, an atrophic RPE tract (seven patients) or a focal photocoagulation scar (one patient) was observed only in patients with PCV (eight patients, 5.8%), and the frequency was statistically significant compared with that with tAMD (P=0.0143) or control subjects (P=0.0143). The laterality of CSC and AMD involved the same eye in 9 of 10 patients among those who had unilateral AMD and a reported unilateral CSC history.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A history of CSC may be a predisposing factor for the development of PCV in the Japanese population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Tokyo School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Toyama
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Tokyo School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ohtomo
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Tokyo School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Noda
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Tokyo School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ueta
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D056833:Central Serous Chorioretinopathy / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011127:Polyps / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D057135:Wet Macular Degeneration / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*