TRANSMACULAR PACHYVESSELS BENEATH POLYPOIDAL CHOROIDAL VASCULOPATHY LESIONS PREDICT LATER RECURRENCE

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Medical Imaging
• Vascular Biology

Background:

• Polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) is a major cause of vision loss.
• Understanding recurrence factors is crucial for effective PCV management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if the spatial arrangement of pachyvessels relative to PCV lesions impacts recurrence rates.
• To explore pachyvessels as a potential prognostic biomarker for PCV.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 58 treatment-naïve PCV eyes followed for at least 1 year.
• En face optical coherence tomography (OCT) used to identify transmacular pachyvessels beneath PCV lesions.
• Comparison of 1-year PCV recurrence rates between eyes with and without pachyvessels.

Main Results:

• Pachyvessels beneath PCV lesions were present in 60.3% of eyes.
• Eyes with pachyvessels showed a significantly higher 1-year recurrence rate (71.4% vs. 39.1%).
• Presence of pachyvessels was a significant independent predictor of recurrence on multivariable analysis.

Conclusions:

• Transmacular pachyvessels may serve as a novel biomarker for PCV prognosis.
• The anatomical relationship between pachyvessels and PCV lesions is critical for treatment response.
• Identifying pachyvessels can guide individualized treatment strategies for PCV.