title: OUTER RETINAL TUBULATION: Characteristics in Patients With Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the incidence, characteristics, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), central macular thickness (CMT), and retinal sensitivity correlations in patients with and without outer retinal tubulation (ORT) affected by subfoveal choroidal neovascularization due to neovascular age-related macular degeneration.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective case series including 78 eyes of 78 consecutive patients with subfoveal choroidal neovascularization due to neovascular age-related macular degeneration. Baseline and follow-up visits included BCVA, intraocular pressure, ophthalmoscopic examination, CMT as measured by spectral domain optical coherence tomography, and retinal sensitivity tested with fundus-related perimetry (MP-1). Fluorescent angiography was performed at baseline.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At the end of the follow-up period, the mean BCVA and CMT of patients with ORT were statistically different from those without ORT (BCVA: 0.61 ± 0.13 vs. 0.37 ± 1.59, P < 0.0001; CMT: 290 ± 26.7 vs. 215.2 ± 33.5 μm; P < 0.0001). Patients with ORT showed a decreased mean retinal sensitivity compared with patients without ORT (6.31 ± 2.5 dB vs. 9.89 ± 5.43 dB; P < 0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this study investigating the BCVA, CMT, and retinal sensitivity detected by MP-1 between patients with and without ORT in neovascular age-related macular degeneration suggest that these parameters are statistically different in patients with ORT; this may be due to the pathogenesis of ORT formation, secondary to retinal pigment epithelial tears or photoreceptor damage. MP-1 microperimeter is a noninvasive instrument that provides useful information to better characterize the functional aspect of ORT in patients with age-related macular degeneration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Policlinico di Foggia, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy.
authors.forename: Cristiana
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Iaculli
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barone
authors.forename: Marilisa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Scudieri
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Giovanna Palumbo
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Delle Noci
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D058449:Intravitreal Injections; D011446:Prospective Studies; D000069579:Ranibizumab / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012160:Retina / Q000473:pathology*; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology; D057135:Wet Macular Degeneration / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; C467484:VEGFA protein, human; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D000069579:Ranibizumab