Photodynamic therapy in a case of polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy associated with choroidal nevus

The purpose of this study was to report the clinical findings and management of a case of polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy associated with choroidal nevus.

A 59-year-old woman with a subfoveal vascular network with polypoidal lesions associated with choroidal nevus was treated with photodynamic therapy. The initial visual acuity was 1/60. Treatment was performed according to identical parameters to those used for choroidal neovascularization secondary to age-related macular degeneration and was repeated 3 months after the first application. The patient was prospectively followed with optical coherence tomography, fluorescein angiography, and indocyanine angiography.

After the second treatment, total occlusion of the polypoidal lesions was observed but the vascular network remained still patent. During the 5-year follow-up, no recurrence was observed and the visual acuity rose to 1/10.

In our experience, photodynamic therapy had positive results and this indicates the possibility that it could be a useful tool to manage these lesions and to improve their prognosis.