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Quantification of retinal changes after resolution of submacular hemorrhage secondary to polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy

  • Clinical Investigation
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose

To evaluate changes in the thickness of retinal layers after resolution of submacular hemorrhage secondary to polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV).

Study design

Retrospective, observational study.

Methods

This study included 21 patients (21 eyes) who had been diagnosed with submacular hemorrhage secondary to PCV and treated using anti-vascular endothelial growth factor monotherapy. After the hemorrhage had resolved, the thicknesses of the retinal layers were measured on horizontal- and vertical-crosshair optical coherence tomography scan images. The thickness of each layer in the region affected by the hemorrhage was compared with the thickness of the layer in the corresponding region in the fellow eye, as well as between an unaffected region in the eye with the hemorrhage and the corresponding region in the fellow eye.

Results

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) was performed 5.5±2.8 months after diagnosis. In the horizontal OCT images, the outer plexiform layer (OPL) and outer nuclear layer (ONL) + photoreceptor layer (PRL) were significantly thinner in the affected region than in the corresponding region (P = 0.019 and P <0.001, respectively). In the vertical OCT image, the ONL+PRL was significantly thinner in the affected region than in the corresponding region (P <0.001). The thickness of the retinal layer in the unaffected region did not differ from that in the corresponding region of the fellow eye.

Conclusions

The significant thinning of the outer retinal layers in the regions affected by submacular hemorrhage suggests that the hemorrhage induces marked damage in the outer retinal layers, explaining the poor visual prognosis of submacular hemorrhage.

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Acknowledgement

This study received financial support from Kim’s Eye Hospital Research Center for English proofreading.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 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, Dong Won Lee, Chul Gu Kim & Jong Woo Kim

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

    Young Suk Chang

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  1. Jae Hui Kim
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  2. Young Suk Chang
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  3. Dong Won Lee
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  4. Chul Gu Kim
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  5. Jong Woo Kim
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Correspondence to Jae Hui Kim.

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Conflicts of interest

J. H. Kim, None; Y. S. Chang, None; D. W. Lee, None; C. G. Kim, None; J. W. Kim, None.

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Kim, J.H., Chang, Y.S., Lee, D.W. et al. Quantification of retinal changes after resolution of submacular hemorrhage secondary to polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy. Jpn J Ophthalmol 62, 54–62 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10384-017-0549-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10384-017-0549-2

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