Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 5, 2026
An In Vitro Approach to Photodynamic Therapy
Published on: August 17, 2018
Efficacy of Photodynamic Therapy for Polypoidal Choroidal Vasculopathy Associated with and without Pachychoroid
Masayuki Hata1, Miho Tagawa1, Akio Oishi1
1Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
Purpose:
To compare the efficacy of photodynamic therapy (PDT) in eyes with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) associated with and without pachychoroid phenotypes (pachychoroid PCV and nonpachychoroid PCV, respectively).
Design:
Retrospective chart review.
Participants:
Patients previously diagnosed with PCV and initially treated with PDT.
Methods:
Patients were classified as having pachychoroid- or nonpachychoroid-driven conditions. The long-term visual outcome and its associated factors were investigated.
Main Outcome Measures:
Visual acuity (VA) outcomes at 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 years after initial PDT in pachychoroid and nonpachychoroid PCV.
Results:
Of the 158 eyes, 88 (55.7%) met the criteria for pachychoroid PCV; 70 (44.3%) did not (nonpachychoroid PCV). In cases of pachychoroid PCV, VA improved significantly at 1 year (P = 0.042) and maintained baseline level at 5 years (P = 0.38). By contrast, VA continued to deteriorate in the nonpachychoroid PCV group during the follow-up period and had already declined significantly by the second year (P = 0.022, compared with baseline). Despite no difference in baseline VA between pachychoroid and nonpachychoroid PCV groups (P = 0.11), the VA at 5 years was significantly better in the pachychoroid PCV group compared with the nonpachychoroid PCV group (0.54±0.47 vs. 0.93±0.63, respectively; P = 0.23 × 10-3). The incidence of massive submacular hemorrhage (SMH) or vitreous hemorrhage (VH) was not different between groups at 5 years (P = 0.67), and their occurrence was associated with decreased VA in both the nonpachychoroid and pachychoroid PCV groups (coefficient β, 0.361 and 0.481; P = 0.59 × 10-3 and P < 1.0 × 10-5, respectively).
Conclusions:
Five years after PDT treatment, VA was maintained at the baseline level in the pachychoroid PCV group but not in the nonpachychoroid PCV group. Massive SMH or VH during the follow-up period affected the final visual outcomes in both conditions.
