Subfoveal choroidal thickness after photodynamic therapy in patients with acute idiopathic central serous chorioretinopathy

Yalong Dang,^1–3,# Xinfeng Sun,^2,# Yongsheng Xu,^3,# Yalin Mu,² Manli Zhao,² Jing Zhao,² Yu Zhu,¹ Chun Zhang<sup>3

1</sup>Department of Ophthalmology, First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, ²Department of Ophthalmology, Yellow River Hospital, Henan University of Science and Technology, Sanmenxia, Henan Province, ³Clinical Stem Cell Research Center, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, People's Republic of China

^#These authors contributed equally to this work

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate changes in subfoveal choroidal thickness after photodynamic therapy in patients with acute idiopathic central serous chorioretinopathy (ICSCR).
Methods: This was a retrospective observational study conducted in 63 participants. The primary outcome measure was subfoveal choroidal thickness at baseline and 3 days, one week, 4 weeks, and 12 weeks after photodynamic therapy. The secondary outcome measure was indocyanine green angiography at baseline and 4 weeks and 12 weeks after photodynamic therapy.
Results: Four weeks after photodynamic therapy, 20 (64.51%) symptomatic eyes showed hypofluorescence corresponding to the area of photodynamic therapy irradiation at the posterior pole. The mean subfoveal choroidal thickness increased significantly from 422±132 µm at baseline to 478±163 µm at day 3 after treatment (P=0.022) and then decreased to 362±113 µm at week 4 (P<0.001) and 339±135 µm at week 12 (P<0.001).
Conclusion: The subfoveal choroid in patients with acute ICSCR is thicker than in the normal population, and in symptomatic eyes is significantly thicker than in fellow eyes. Photodynamic therapy using a one third dose of verteporfin may decrease choroidal vascular hyperpermeability and choroidal thickness in patients with acute ICSCR.

Keywords: idiopathic central serous chorioretinopathy, photodynamic therapy, subfoveal choroidal thickness, indocyanine green angiography, optical coherence tomography, enhanced depth imaging

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