Choroidal thickness after treatment for myopic choroidal neovascularization

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate choroidal thickness in highly myopic eyes with choroidal neovascularization (CNV), 3 or more years after treatment with photodynamic therapy (PDT), intravitreal ranibizumab (IVR), or both (PDT + IVR).

Methods: The medical records of patients with high myopia and CNV treated with PDT or IVR in our department were reviewed. Eyes meeting the inclusion criteria were assigned to 3 groups: PDT, IVR, and PDT + IVR. A fourth group, "dry myopic maculopathy," included the contralateral highly myopic eyes that never developed CNV. All patients performed a cross-sectional evaluation with best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), measurement of axial length, color fundus photography, and enhanced depth imaging with spectral domain optical coherence tomography.

Results: Forty-two eyes (21 patients) were included: 11 eyes (26.2%) in the PDT group, 8 (19.0%) in the IVR group, 9 (21.4%) in the PDT + IVR group, and 14 (33.3%) in the dry maculopathy group. Subfoveal choroidal thickness showed no significant differences between groups (p>0.05). Positive correlation was found between BCVA and macular choroidal thickness (r = +0.293, p<0.001). Regression analysis showed that age (p<0.001), axial length (p<0.001), sex (p = 0.001), and myopic lesions such as tessellated fundus (p = 0.046) and patchy atrophy (p = 0.008) were predictive of choroidal thickness. Type of treatment was not predictive of choroidal thickness.

Conclusions: Older age and greater axial length are the major factors associated with macular choroidal thinning in highly myopic eyes submitted to CNV treatment. The type of treatment performed for myopic CNV had no predictive contribution for choroidal thickness.