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Polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy in patients aged less than 50 years: characteristics and 6-month treatment outcome

  • Retinal Disorders
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Abstract

Purpose

To investigate the characteristics and 6-month treatment outcome of polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) in patients aged <50 years.

Methods

This retrospective study included 22 eyes from 22 patients who were <50 years old and had been diagnosed with treatment naïve PCV. Analyses of treatment outcome were performed in eyes treated with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy. Eyes that exhibited submacular hemorrhage of ≥1 disc diameter and involving the fovea were included in the hemorrhage group. The remaining eyes were included in the no-hemorrhage group. The baseline best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was compared with that at 6 months within each group.

Results

The mean age of the 22 patients was 46.5 ± 1.8 (range, 43–49) years. Submacular hemorrhage was noted in ten eyes (45.5 %). The presence of drusen was noted in one eye and pseudodrusen was not noted in any of the eyes included. Treatment outcome was analyzed in 18 eyes. A mean number of 2.9 ± 0.5 intravitreal anti-VEGF injections were administered during the 6-month follow-up period. In the no-hemorrhage group (n = 10), the BCVA at diagnosis and at 6 months was 0.55 ± 0.32 and 0.35 ± 0.22 respectively (P = 0.011). In the hemorrhage group (n = 8), the values were 0.99 ± 0.45 and 0.74 ± 0.63 respectively (P = 0.128).

Conclusions

A relatively high proportion of young PCV patients exhibited submacular hemorrhage at initial presentation. In those without submacular hemorrhage, intravitreal anti-VEGF therapy was found to be beneficial.

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Funding

Kim’s Eye Hospital (Seoul, South Korea) provided financial support in the form of funding for English editing support. The sponsor had no role in the design or conduct of this research.

Conflict of interest

All authors certify that they have no affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial interest, or non-financial interest in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript.

Ethical approval

The study was approved by the institutional review board of Kim’s Eye Hospital (Seoul, South Korea). This study was conducted in accordance with the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki.

Informed consent

Informed consent was not obtained in this study. Identifying information about participants was not presented in this study.

Meeting presentation

None

Financial support

This study was supported by Kim’s Eye Hospital Research Center.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ophthalmology, Konyang University College of Medicine, Daejeon, South Korea

    Young Suk Chang

  2. Department of Ophthalmology, Kim’s Eye Hospital, Konyang University College of Medicine, #156 Youngdeungpo-dong 4ga, Youngdeungpo-gu, Seoul, 150-034, South Korea

    Jae Hui Kim, Jong Woo Kim, Tae Gon Lee, Chul Gu Kim & Sung Won Cho

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  1. Young Suk Chang
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Correspondence to Jae Hui Kim.

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Chang, Y.S., Kim, J.H., Kim, J.W. et al. Polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy in patients aged less than 50 years: characteristics and 6-month treatment outcome. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 254, 1083–1089 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-015-3173-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-015-3173-1

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