title: Choroidal neovascularization and coincident perforating scleral vessels in pathologic myopia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the coincidence of perforating scleral vessels and choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in pathologic myopia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Medical records and multimodal imaging were reviewed from patients with CNV secondary to pathologic myopia who presented to the Medical Retina and Imaging Unit of San Raffaele Hospital in Milan between October 2015 and March 2016. Main outcomes were the prevalence of coincident perforating scleral vessels and overlying CNV and association between perforating scleral vessels and CNV position within the macula and neovascular activity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Forty-one eyes of 39 patients (6 male, 33 female, mean age 63.7 ± 14.1 years) with CNV secondary to pathologic myopia were included in the study. Scleral perforating vessels (average number of perforating vessels per eye 2.1 ± 1.0) were found in 29 out of 41 eyes (70.7%) at the site of CNV. There was no association between presence of perforating vessels and neovascular activity or CNV position.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Perforating scleral vessels are often coincident with myopic CNV. We hypothesize that scleral vessels located beneath myopic CNV can play a role in neovascular development.
authors.affiliation:  Department of Ophthalmology, IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, University Vita-Salute, Milan - Italy.
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Giuffrè
authors.affiliation:  Department of Ophthalmology, IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, University Vita-Salute, Milan - Italy.
authors.forename: Lea
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Querques
authors.affiliation:  Department of Ophthalmology, IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, University Vita-Salute, Milan - Italy.| Department of Ophthalmology, University of "Magna Graecia", Catanzaro - Italy.
authors.forename: Adriano
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Carnevali
authors.affiliation:  Department of Ophthalmology, IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, University Vita-Salute, Milan - Italy.
authors.forename: Luigi A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: De Vitis
authors.affiliation:  Department of Ophthalmology, IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, University Vita-Salute, Milan - Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bandello
authors.affiliation:  Department of Ophthalmology, IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, University Vita-Salute, Milan - Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Querques
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D058452:Axial Length, Eye / Q000473:pathology; D001808:Blood Vessels / Q000293:injuries*; D020256:Choroidal Neovascularization / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D047728:Myopia, Degenerative / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012590:Sclera / Q000098:blood supply*; D015422:Scleral Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D014792:Visual Acuity