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. 2010 Jan-Feb;17(1):66-73.
doi: 10.3109/09286580903450361.

Baseline characteristics of participants in the natural history study of macular telangiectasia (MacTel) MacTel Project Report No. 2

Traci E Clemons  1 , Marc C Gillies, Emily Y Chew, Alan C Bird, Tunde Peto, Maria J Figueroa, Molly W Harrington; MacTel Research Group
Collaborators, Affiliations

Baseline characteristics of participants in the natural history study of macular telangiectasia (MacTel) MacTel Project Report No. 2

Traci E Clemons et al. Ophthalmic Epidemiol. 2010 Jan-Feb.

Abstract

Purpose: To describe the baseline characteristics of a large international cohort of patients with macular telangiectasia type 2 (MacTel Type 2) in anticipation of a longitudinal natural history study to evaluate structural and functional changes, identify potential risk factors and related outcomes.

Methods: Images including fundus photographs, fluorescein angiograms, optical coherence tomography and fundus autofluorescence were collected. A grading system for MacTel type 2 was developed by the central reading center to evaluate lesion characteristics. Relationships between lesion characteristics and visual acuity were evaluated.

Results: A total of 310 participants have been enrolled in the study. The mean time since diagnosis was 3 years (range 0 to 25 years). The mean age at the baseline examination was 61 +/- 9 years. The mean visual acuity in the better eye was approximately 20/32 Snellen equivalents and approximately 20/50 in the worse eye. The visual acuity in the better eye of half of the participants was 20/32 or better. We found some relationships between visual acuity and lesions characteristic of MacTel Type 2.

Conclusions: This is the first large-scale study of patients with MacTel Type 2. More than half of the patients had 20/32 or better vision in their better eye, which is a sign that decreased function in these participants may not be reflected in central visual acuity. These findings highlight the limitation of using visual acuity measurements as a measure of function and as an outcome measure in potential clinical trials in patients with MacTel Type 2.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Interest:

Participating Principal Investigators and Centers: Jose-Alain Sahel, MD, PhD, Centre Hopitalier National D’Optalmologie des Quinze-Vingts, Paris, France; Robyn Guymer, MD, Centre for Eye Research, East Melbourne, Australia; Gisele Soubrane, MD, PhD, FEBO, Clinique Ophtalmolgie de Creteil, Creteil, France; Alain Gaudric, MD, Hopital Lariboisiere, Paris, France; Steven Schwartz, MD, Jules Stein Eye Institute, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA (USA); Ian Constable, MD, Lions Eye Institute, Nedlands, Australia; Michael Cooney, MD, MBA, Manhattan Eye, Ear, & Throat Hospital, New York, NY (USA); Cathy Egan, MD, Moorfields Eye Hospital, London, England (UK); Lawrence Singerman, MD, Retina Associates of Cleveland, Cleveland, OH (USA); Mark Gillies, MD, PhD, Save Sight Institute, Sydney, Australia; Martin Friedlander, MD, PhD, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA (USA); Daniel Pauleikhoff, Prof. Dr., St. Franziskus Hospital, Muenster, Germany; Joseph Moisseiev, MD, The Goldschleger Eye Institute, Tel Hashomer, Israel; Richard Rosen, MD, The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, New York, NY (USA); Robert Murphy, MD, The Retina Group of Washington, Fairfax, VA (USA); Frank Holz, MD, University of Bonn, Bonn Germany; Grant Comer, MD, University of Michigan, Kellogg Eye Center, Ann Arbor, MI (USA); Barbara Blodi, MD, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (USA); Diana Do, MD, The Wilmer Eye Institute, Baltimore, MD (USA); Alexander Brucker, MD, Scheie Eye Institute, Philadelphia, PA (USA); Raja Narayanan, MD, LV Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad, India; Sebastian Wolf, MD, PhD, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; Philip Rosenfeld, MD, PhD, Bascom Palmer, Miami, FL (USA).

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Example of the MacTel Type 2 AF pattern defined as an increase in the central AF due to loss of masking of the background AF of the RPE by loss of masking by luteal pigment. MacTel = Macular Telangiectasia; AF = Autofluorescence; RPE = retinal pigment epithelium.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Example of the OCT MacTel Type 2 characteristic of the presence of a hyporeflective space. OCT = optical coherence tomography.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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