Clinicopathologic correlations of surgically excised type 1 and type 2 submacular choroidal neovascular membranes

To correlate the histologic and clinical classification of type 1 (subretinal pigment epithelium) and type 2 (subsensory retina) choroidal neovascularization.

Ten eyes of 10 patients with surgically excised choroidal neovascularization that were routinely processed and could be histologically classified as having a type 1 or type 2 configuration were studied. The patients were clinically classified as having type 1 or type 2 choroidal neovascularization according to preoperative fundus appearance of both eyes and patient age. The histologic and clinical classifications were made in a masked fashion, and the results were compared.

The histologic classification was type 1 and type 2 for three and seven specimens, respectively. The clinical classification matched the histologic classification in nine of 10 cases. Clinical fundus characteristics that distinguished type 2 choroidal neovascularization included a subretinal pigmented halo or pigmented plaque in the area of the choroidal neovascularization and sharply defined borders. Patients with type 1 membranes were on average older (76 years) than patients with type 2 membranes (53 years).

It is generally possible to clinically ascertain by clinical fundus appearance and age of a patient whether subfoveal choroidal neovascularization represents a type 1 or type 2 configuration.