Five-Year Follow-Up of Unaffected Fellow Eyes in Patients with Polypoidal Choroidal Vasculopathy

• Published in: Ophthalmologica (Basel) Vol. 243; no. 3; pp. 172 - 177
• Main Authors: Kim, Kiyoung, Kim, Jae Min, Kim, Do Gyun, Yu, Seung-Young, Kim, Eung Suk
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel, Switzerland 01.05.2020
• Subjects: Aged; Choroidal Neovascularization - diagnosis; Choroidal Neovascularization - epidemiology; Coloring Agents - administration & dosage; Female; Fluorescein Angiography; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Incidence; Indocyanine Green - administration & dosage; Male; Middle Aged; Polyps - diagnosis; Polyps - epidemiology; Research Article; Retrospective Studies; Risk Factors; Tomography, Optical Coherence; Visual Acuity - physiology; Wet Macular Degeneration - diagnosis; Wet Macular Degeneration - epidemiology; Polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy; Choroidal neovascularization; Fellow eyes; Age-related macular degeneration
• ISSN: 0030-3755; 1423-0267
• DOI: 10.1159/000501212

Purpose: To evaluate the incidence and risk factors of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) including polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) or any type of choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in fellow eyes of unilateral PCV. Methods: This retrospective study included 48 patients with unilateral PCV. For the initial PCV diagnosis, optical coherence tomography and indocyanine green angiography were performed, and patients with and without neovascularization were compared. Results: Of 48 fellow eyes, 10 (20.8%) had drusen, 9 (18.8%) had retinal pigment epitheliopathy, 9 (18.8%) had irregular retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) elevation, 13 (27.1%) had choroidal vascular dilation, 12 (25%) had choroidal vascular hyperpermeability, and 9 (18.8%) had branching vascular network (BVN) at baseline. The development of nAMD was noted in 8 eyes (17%). The subfoveal choroidal thickness (p = 0.001), irregular RPE elevation (p < 0.001), choroidal vascular dilation (p < 0.001), choroidal vascular hyperpermeability (p < 0.001), and BVN (p < 0.001) in fellow eyes were significantly correlated with development of PCV. After multivariate analysis, BVN (p = 0.045, odds ratio = 24.66) in the fellow eye was the only significant risk factor for the development of nAMD. Conclusions: PCV or CNV developed in 17% of fellow eyes during the 5 years. Unilateral PCV with contralateral BVN requires careful monitoring for future development of PCV or CNV in fellow eyes.