title: OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY ANGIOGRAPHY REVEALS BLOOD FLOW IN CHOROIDAL NEOVASCULAR MEMBRANE IN REMISSION PHASE OF NEOVASCULAR AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the study was to investigate blood flow in choroidal neovascular membrane in remission phase of neovascular age-related macular degeneration using optical coherence tomography (OCT) angiography.
  
  
  METHODS
  OCT angiography was obtained in eyes with remission phase of neovascular age-related macular degeneration after treatments, defined as no exudative change (such as macular edema, subretinal fluid, and subretinal hemorrhage) observed in eyes without any treatment for neovascular age-related macular degeneration within the previous 6 months. Irregular blood flows shown in the segmentation of outer retina detected by OCT angiography were considered as blood flows in choroidal neovascular membrane. The vascular area and vessel density were obtained from OCT angiography images.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty eyes of 20 patients were included in this analysis. The blood flows in choroidal neovascular membrane were observed in all eyes (100%) using OCT angiography. The mean vascular area was 3.81 ± 3.41 mm and the mean vessel density of lesion was 28.9 ± 8.2%. The vessel density was significantly correlated with best-corrected visual acuity and duration of remission (best-corrected visual acuity: P = 0.008, r = -0.576; duration of remission: P = 0.017, r = -0.525, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Optical coherence tomography angiography revealed that blood flows in choroidal neovascular membrane remained in eyes with clinically inactive neovascular age-related macular degeneration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Shiga University of Medical Science, Shiga, Japan.
authors.forename: Yusuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ichiyama
authors.forename: Tomoko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sawada
authors.forename: Yuka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: Masashi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kakinoki
authors.forename: Masahito
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ohji
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002829:Choroid / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D020256:Choroidal Neovascularization / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000502:physiology; D012044:Regression Analysis; D015861:Retinal Neovascularization / Q000503:physiopathology*; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence / Q000379:methods*; D014792:Visual Acuity; D057135:Wet Macular Degeneration / Q000503:physiopathology*