ObjectiveTo evaluate the efficacy and safety of half-dose verteporfin photodynamic therapy (PDT) for chronic central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC). Methods35 eyes (35 patients) with chronic (or recurrent) CSC treated with half-dose verteporfin PDT. Best-corrected visual acuity(BCVA), central macular thickness (CMT) were measured before and after treatment (1, 3 and 6 months). The mean BCVA was 0.28±0.22, mean CMT was(384.5±85.0)μm. The situation of subretinal fluids (SRF) absorption was observed. ResultsIn 35 eyes, SRF of 29 eyes (82.9%) completely absorbed and 6 eyes (17.1%) not completely absorbed after one month of treatment. SRF of all eyes (100.0%) completely absorbed after three months of treatment. After 6 months of treatment, SRF of 3 eyes (8.6%) were recurrence, which might be completely absorbed when a half-dose maintenance therapy PDT was used again. The mean BCVA significantly improved to 0.14±0.13 at 1 months, 0.05±0.11 at 3 months and 0.05±0.12 at 6 months after PDT (t=5.410, 7.830, 7.758; P < 0.05). The mean CMT decreased to (224.3±61.4) μm at 1 months, (199.6±32.7) μm at 3 months and (205.3±39.6) μm at 6 months after PDT (t=11.856, 11.781, 11.900; P < 0.05). The mean CMT of controlled 32 eyes after treatment was (198.5±33.9) μm, much lower than the fellow eyes(232.3±17.5) μm (t=-3.988, P < 0.05). ConclusionsHalf-dose verteporfin PDT was safe and effective in treating chronic CSC, but may cause thinning of CMT.
Central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) is one of the representative pachychoroid spectrum disease. Although fundus fluorescein angiography and indocyanine green angiography can be used as the gold standard for the diagnosis of CSC, they are invasive examinations, which may bring certain risks in clinical application and cannot help us obtain quantitative parameters. Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA), as a non-invasive and quantitative examination, is an important imaging tool for understanding the pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of CSC. With the advancement of OCTA, the swept-source OCTA has a satisfying scanning depth, a wider scanning range and a higher resolution. The development of OCTA broadens the horizons of the pathogenesis of CSC, promotes the understanding of the pathophysiology of CSC, and sheds new light for its clinical diagnosis and treatment. Based on OCTA, the choroid and retina in eyes with CSC are presented with qualitative and quantitative changes in vascular system. OCTA-guided CSC treatment and the discovery of prognostic markers based on OCTA challenge the application of traditional imaging techniques in CSC. With the continuous improvement and progress of OCTA technology, traditional angiography combined with OCTA will bring great benefits to the diagnosis and treatment of CSC. This review summarizes the quantitative application of OCTA in the pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of CSC.
Multicenter randomized controlled studies can recruit more subjects in a relatively short period of time, avoiding the bias of single research institution studies, resulting in reliable conclusions and providing strong guidance to clinical practice. They are the most scientific and most reliable methods to evaluate clinical researches. However, there are few multicenter clinical trials in China as Chinese doctors are often trapped in difficulties in clinical research, including imperfect research system, lack of experience, capital investment deficient, the tension in the doctor-patient relationship and so on. Although the above problems are related to medical system architecture of our country in a certain extent, compared with the overseas, we also have our own advantages, such as resource of our patients, doctors, and diseases type. Pay attention to discovering of new type of diseases, looking for genetics discipline, and exploring new medical technology is an important task of clinical research. We have plenty of high level ophthalmology centers at present, which provide favorable conditions for launching multi-center clinical trial studies. We have good reasons to believe that, if we can effectively exploit the resources in our hands, carefully observe and discover clinical problems, there will be more convincing clinical results present in the world after bring up hypothesis boldly while prove it conscientiously and carefully.
ObjectiveTo investigate and analyze the clinical manifestations and imaging features of the eyes with bullous retinal detachment. MethodsRetrospective case series study. Eleven eyes of 11 patients with bullous retinal detachment diagnosed in Department of Ophthalmology, Peking University People's Hospital from July 2015 to September 2021 were enrolled. There were 10 males and 1 female, with the mean age of (39.27±6.81) years. All patients had monocular bullous retinal detachment, with mean duration ranged from 3 months to 14 years. The basic information and medical history of all patients were collected. All patients underwent best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), indirect ophthalmoscopy, color fundus photography, optical coherence tomography (OCT), fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA), indocyanine green angiography (ICGA) and B-scan ultrasonography. BCVA was performed using a standard logarithmic visual acuity chart, which was converted to logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) visual acuity. The clinical data and imaging features of BCVA, OCT, FFA and ICGA were retrospectively analyzed and summarized. ResultsThe mean logMAR BCVA of the 11 eyes was 0.91±0.45. Nine patients had bilateral disease, but bullous retinal detachment occurred in only 1 eye, and CSC manifestations were present in the contralateral eye. Six patients had received systemic or topical hormone therapy prior to onset. Yellowish-white material was observed in 6 eyes and retinal folds were observed in 5 eyes. OCT examination showed serous retinal detachment in the macular area with granular or patchy hyperreflective signals in the subretinal area in all eyes, and a few granular hyperreflective substances in the neuroretina in 6 eyes. Neuroretina cystoid degeneration was observed in 6 eyes, adhesion between the detached neuroretina and retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) was observed in 6 eyes, RPE tear was observed in 6 eyes, and different forms of retinal pigment epithelial detachment (PED) were observed in 6 eyes. FFA showed multiple fluorescence leakage spots in 10 eyes, and the average number of fluorescence leakage spots in all eyes was 3.82±2.44. There were multiple diffuse RPE lesions in 9 eyes. The results of ICGA examination showed that choroidal vessels were dilated and multiple hyperfluorescent leaks were observed in all eyes. B-scan ultrasonography examination of all affected eyes showed retinal detachment. Retinal reattachment can be achieved at (2.0±1.0) months after photodynamic therapy (PDT), while SRF can be completely absorbed at (2.36±0.81) months. The mean logMAR BCVA can be improved to 0.50±0.33, and no recurrence was found in the follow-up period up to 6 months. ConclusionsBullous retinal detachment is often associated with the use of hormones, while yellow-white material in the subretina and hyperreflective material in the OCT are common. It is characterized by neuroretina cystoid degeneration in the macular area, adhesion between the neuroretina and RPE, RPE tear and PED, with multiple fluorescence leakage spots and diffuse RPE lesions. PDT is an effective treatment for bullous retinal detachment.
ObjectiveTo observe and analyze the clinical and imaging features of eyes with cystoid macular degeneration (CMD) secondary to chronic central serous chorioretinopathy (cCSC). MethodsA retrospective clinical study. From February 2018 to June 2023, 9 patients of 15 eyes with cCSC secondary CMD diagnosed by ophthalmology examination in Yunnan University Affiliated Hospital were included in the study. All patients were male. The age was (53.67±3.83) years. The cases of binocular and monocular were 6 and 3 respectively. The visual acuity of the affected eye ranges from 0.02 to 0.1, which cannot be corrected. Visual acuity decreased and the duration of shadow occlusion was >1 year. Half dose photodynamic therapy (PDT) was performed on 8 eyes. All the patients underwent the best corrected visual acuity, posterior mydriatic fundus color photography, infrared fundus photography (IR), fundus autofluorescence (AF), fluorescein fundus angiography (FFA), optical coherence tomography (OCT), and multi-wavelength dazzling imaging (MC). The patients who received half dose PDT were followed up until 3 months after treatment. Patients who did not receive treatment were followed up to 2 years after the first diagnosis. ResultsThe light reflection in macular area decreased or disappeared in all eyes, and abnormal macular pigmentation was observed in 12 eyes. IR examination showed diffuse patchy weak fluorescence in the macular area in all affected eyes, and dotted strong fluorescence in the periphery. Fundus AF examination showed disc-like weak AF in the macular area, and scattered small amounts of strong AF in the middle and margins, among which the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) atrophy trace in the macular area was observed in 7 eyes. By MC examination, the green signal in the macular area of the posterior pole of all affected eyes was uneven and mottled. FFA examination showed that no abnormal fluorescein leakage was observed in 15 eyes and 8 eyes showed strong fluorescence caused by diffuse permeation fluorescence. A small amount of active fluorescein was found in 7 eyes. OCT examination showed that there were several cystic cavities of different sizes in all the affected eyes, RPE atrophied to different degrees, and RPE cell compensatory ridges and tubular structures in the outer retina were seen in 6 eyes; 7 eyes with CMD and active leakage showed signs of subcortical fluid accumulation. Choroidal hypertrophy was seen in all affected eyes, with significant expansion of the great vascular layer and compression of the middle vascular layer and capillary layer. In 8 eyes treated with half-dose PDT, 6 eyes were ineffective at 3 months after treatment. The treatment was effective in 2 eyes. In 7 eyes that did not receive half-dose PDT, CMD structure did not improve significantly after 2 years of follow-up. The visual acuity decreased with the prolongation of the disease. ConclusionsCMD is more common in cCSC with a long course of disease, which has significant effects on vision and poor prognosis. Fundus color photography shows that the reflection in the macular area of the pole is weakened or disappeared, which may be combined with macular abnormal pigmentation. IR and AF examination show uneven fluorescence in macular area. The green signal in macular area is not uniform according to MC inspection. FFA shows strong fluorescence caused by diffuse permeable fluorescence and fluorescein leakage in active lesions. OCT examination shows that multiple small sacs or connections between sacs were broken and fused, and RPE atrophied to varying degrees.
ObjectiveTo quantitatively analyze the changes of choroidal capillaries in chronic central serous chorioretinopathy (CCSC) before and after half-dose photodynamic therapy (PDT).MethodsA retrospective cohort study. Nineteen patients (21 eyes) with CCSC were enrolled in this study from November 2017 to September 2018 in People’s Hospital of Wuhan University. Among them, there were 14 males (15 eyes) and 5 females (6 eyes), with diseases course over than 6 months. All patients underwent half-dose PDT. Twenty normal subjects (40 eyes) matched with age and sex in CCSC group were taken as controls. The subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) was measured by Heidelberg depth enhanced imaging-OCT before and after PDT treatment in CCSC patients and in normal subjects. Spectral-domain OCT (Retina map) and Angio-OCT angiography (3 mm×3 mm) were arranged for all subjects at the same time. Macular fovea retinal thickness (CMT) was recorded under OCT-Retina map mode, and Angio-OCT 3 mm×3 mm choroidal capillary images were binarized using Image J software, and calculating the area ratio of low pixel area as flow signal void (FSV). BCVA, spectral-domain OCT and Angio-OCT were performed 1 week and 1, 3 months after PDT with the same equipment and methods before PDT. The changes of CMT, SFCT, FSV and BCVA in CCSC patients before and after PDT treatment were compared. Pearson correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between FSV and SFCT, age.ResultsThe average CMT, SFCT and FSV in CCSC patients increased significantly compared with the controls (P<0.05). The average SFCT and FSV in CCSC patients 3 months after treatment were higher and the average CMT decreased compared with the controls (P=0.000, 0.000, 0.000). Comparison before and after PDT in CCSC patients: there were significant differences in average CMT, SFCT and FSV before and after PDT (P=0.000, 0.000, 0.000). Post Hoc multiple comparisons showed that the average CMT (P=0.000, 0.000, 0.000, 0.000, 0.000) and FSV (P=0.010, 0.000, 0.000, 0.001, 0.000) decreased significantly in all time points except for 1 month and 3 months after treatment, so as the average FSV (P=0.788, 0.702). The average SFCT decreased 1 month and 3 months after treatment compared with the baseline (P=0.024, 0.008), and there was no significant difference between before treatment and 1 week after treatment (P=0.162), and between 1 month and 3 months after treatment (P=0.687). The correlation analysis showed that there was no correlation between FSV and age in CCSC patients (r=0.052, P=0.822), but there was a correlation between FSV and age in controls (r=0.716, P=0.000).ConclusionQuantitative analysis of OCTA showes the degree of choriocapillary ischemia in the form of FSV in CCSC patients decreased after PDT treatment, however, which is still higher than normal controls.
Central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) is one of the main causes of impaired visual function in middle-aged men. CSC is characterized by a thickening of the choroid and hyperpermeability of the choroidal vessels, resulting in serous subretinal fluid. The pathogenesis of CSC is not fully understood. Since the introduction of indocyanine green angiography, the detection of the influence of the vortex veins in CSC, it has been established that the presence of a thick choroid may be caused by congestion of the vortex vein, resulting in new choroidal drainage through a vortex vein anastomosis. The study of vortex venous blood hemodynamics has elucidated the new concept of the pathogenesis of CSC, deepened our understanding of the disease, and provided a theoretical basis for new treatment methods. With a better understanding of the pathogenesis of CSC, we expect to be able to stratify patients at risk in the clinic and evaluate optimized treatment options for patients with CSC
Chronic central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) usually demonstrates frequent recurrence, diffuse leakage and persistent subretinal fluid, which cannot be absorbed, thus lead to photoreceptor damage and poor visual acuity. As glucocorticoids have been implicated in the pathogenesis of chronic CSC, various anti-glucocorticoids oral drugs were used in the clinic to promote retinal fluid absorption and reduce the central retinal thickness of the macula and improve the vision outcomes. In addition, the 5α-reductase-specific inhibitor finasteride, the P450-3A4 inducer rifampicin, circadian rhythmic regulator melatonin, and systemic anti-inflammatory drug methotrexate have also been put into clinical trials for chronic CSC, and achieved certain effects. However, most of the clinical studies on these oral drugs were case reports, but not multi-center randomized clinical trials. The long-term effects of these oral drugs need to be observed and studied further.