OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY ANGIOGRAPHY REVEALS BLOOD FLOW IN CHOROIDAL NEOVASCULAR MEMBRANE IN REMISSION PHASE OF NEOVASCULAR AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to investigate blood flow in choroidal neovascular membrane in remission phase of neovascular age-related macular degeneration using optical coherence tomography (OCT) angiography. METHODS: OCT angiography was obtained in eyes with remission phase of neovascular age-related macular degeneration after treatments, defined as no exudative change (such as macular edema, subretinal fluid, and subretinal hemorrhage) observed in eyes without any treatment for neovascular age-related macular degeneration within the previous 6 months. Irregular blood flows shown in the segmentation of outer retina detected by OCT angiography were considered as blood flows in choroidal neovascular membrane. The vascular area and vessel density were obtained from OCT angiography images. RESULTS: Twenty eyes of 20 patients were included in this analysis. The blood flows in choroidal neovascular membrane were observed in all eyes (100%) using OCT angiography. The mean vascular area was 3.81 ± 3.41 mm and the mean vessel density of lesion was 28.9 ± 8.2%. The vessel density was significantly correlated with best-corrected visual acuity and duration of remission (best-corrected visual acuity P = 0.008, r = -0.576; duration of remission P = 0.017, r = -0.525, respectively). CONCLUSION: Optical coherence tomography angiography revealed that blood flows in choroidal neovascular membrane remained in eyes with clinically inactive neovascular age-related macular degeneration.