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INCIDENCE OF ACUTE EXUDATIVE MACULOPATHY AFTER REDUCED-FLUENCE PHOTODYNAMIC THERAPY
Zaid Mammo1, Farzin Forooghian
1Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Purpose:
To describe the incidence and features of acute exudative maculopathy (AEM) after half-fluence photodynamic therapy (PDT) and/or very minimal fluence PDT.
Methods:
Retrospective chart review of all patients treated over a 7-year period.
Results:
A total of 52 patients (58 eyes, 140 treatments) were treated with half-fluence PDT and/or very minimal fluence PDT. Patients were diagnosed with either central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR) or neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD). Two patients (1 CSCR and 1 nAMD) returned to the clinic with acute vision loss after treatment and were identified as having developed AEM. In the CSCR case, resolution occurred after intravitreal bevacizumab treatment. The nAMD case resolved with topical difluprednate treatment. We were unable to identify any risk factors for the development of AEM.
Conclusion:
AEM seems to be a rare (incidence 1.4% per treatment) and unpredictable reaction related to the proinflammatory effects of half-fluence PDT and very minimal fluence PDT. Because of the inherent limitations of this study, the true incidence of AEM after reduced-fluence PDT may be higher.
