ICGA-guided laser photocoagulation of occult choroidal neovascularization in age-related macular degeneration. Indocyanine green angiography

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of indocyanine green angiography (ICGA)-guided laser photocoagulation in eyes with fluorescein angiographic evidence of occult choroidal neovascularization (O-CNV) in patients with age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) with or without pigment epithelium detachment (PED). METHODS: Eighty eyes of 79 consecutive patients with O-CNV underwent laser treatment of a clearly outlined extrafoveal ICGA hyperfluorescent area, presumed to be focal CNV. Four types of presumed CNV were treated: Group 1 (20 eyes), CNV beneath the PED; Group 2 (23 eyes), CNV at the margin of the PED; Group 3 (10 eyes), parapapillary CNV and PED; and Group 4 (27 eyes), macular CNV without PED. Median follow-up was 17.5 months (range, 6-24 months). RESULTS: After 1 year, 15% of the eyes in Group 1, 30% in Group 2, 100% in Group 3, and 52% in Group 4 had obliteration of the presumed CNV. After 1 year, visual acuity was stable or improved in 18% of Group 1, in 37.5% of Group 2, in 100% of Group 3, and in 73% of Group 4. The remaining eyes worsened. CONCLUSIONS: Indocyanine green angiography-guided laser treatment may improve or stabilize visual acuity in some eyes with O-CNV. The best outcome is seen in eyes with presumed parapapillary CNV, probably made up of choroidal telangiectases in many cases. The type and location of the presumed CNV influence prognosis after laser treatment considerably. A randomized, controlled clinical study appears necessary to investigate the efficacy of ICGA-guided laser treatment in different types of presumed CNV. The inclusion criteria for further trials need to be defined with precision, as data from patients with different choroidal vascular abnormalities have been pooled until now.