title: Optical coherence tomography (OCT) in retinal angiomatous proliferation (RAP).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To verify the utility of optical coherence tomography (OCT) for diagnosing retinal angiomatous proliferations (RAP) in patients with exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
  
  
  METHODS
  Multiple cross-sections were taken with OCT from 41 eyes of 39 consecutive patients with AMD and RAP. The presence and the location of the angiomatous complexes had already been documented by fluorescein angiography (FA) and high-speed confocal indocyanine green videoangiography (ICGA).
  
  
  RESULTS
  RAP was detectable by OCT scans in all 41 eyes, appearing as a focal hyper-reflecting area in the neuroretinal layers; it was frequently located close to the inner surface of the retinal pigment epithelium (29 eyes [70.7%]). All eyes had either no or only a low-reflecting OCT signal surrounding the RAP, caused by serous intraretinal edema. Only 13 eyes (31.7%), however, had large serous retinal detachment (SRD). OCT detected pigment epithelium detachment in 31 eyes (75.6%), but none had underlying choroidal neovascularization.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  OCT findings confirm the intraretinal localization of the RAP which are always associated with impressive exudative phenomena. OCT is therefore a useful diagnostic tool, adding information to FA and high-speed ICGA. (Eur J Ophthalmol 2002; 12: 467-72).
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Scientific Institute H.S. Raffaele, University of M.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Brancato
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Introini
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pierro
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Setaccioli
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Forti
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bolognesi
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tremolada