Choroidal neovascularisation after surgical removal of submacular lipid plaques in diabetic maculopathy
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Published on: June 14, 2021
Daniela Suesskind1, Faik Gelisken, Karl U Bartz-Schmidt
1Centre for Ophthalmology, University of Tübingen, Schleichstrasse 12, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.
Background:
We report a case of choroidal neovascularisation (CNV) that developed after surgical removal of submacular lipid plaques secondary to diabetic maculopathy.
Methods:
A 73-year-old man with diabetic maculopathy underwent standard pars plana vitrectomy and surgical removal of the submacular lipid plaques.
Results:
Preoperative visual acuity was 20/200. Funduscopy revealed a macular oedema and subretinal lipid plaques at the macula. Nine months after surgery visual acuity had dropped to 20/320 and subfoveal CNV was diagnosed by fluorescein angiography. Observational management was chosen. At the last examination, 27 months after surgery, visual acuity had worsened to 20/500 and a CNV scar was seen at the macula.
Conclusions:
CNV development should be kept in mind as a possible complication of surgical removal of submacular lipid plaques in patients with diabetic retinopathy.