INDOCYANINE GREEN ANGIOGRAPHIC FINDINGS IN IDIOPATHIC CHOROIDAL NEOVASCULARIZATION

Purpose. Evaluation of choroidal alterations associated with idiopathi c choroidal neovascularization (ICNV) and the possible relation betwee n this affection and Multifocal Choroidopathies (MC). Methods. The aut hors analysed, using high definition videoangiography, the choroidal f indings in 21 consecutive patients affected by ICNV (7 males and 14 fe males; 19-46 years; mean age: 31.8 years); with a follow-up at 5-30 mo nths (mean 13 months). Moreover, a retrospective study of 20 cases of ICNV (11 males and 9 females; age: 17-39 years; mean age: 29.3 years), with a follow-up at 6-11 years (mean 8.9), was performed. Results. In 7 eyes, the indocyanine green angiography (ICGA) showed choroidal hyp ofluorescent spots similar to those observed in MC (in 3 cases even in the fellow unaffected eye), in 2 of them the regression of the spots was observed after steroid therapy. In 2 eyes, the ICGA revealed hyper fluorescent spots; in one of them the complete regression of the spots after oral cyprofloxacine was observed. In 6 patients (10 eyes), chor oidal permeability alterations could be visualized (in 4 cases even in the unaffected eye). Conclusions. The indocyanine green angiographic findings (hypo and hyperfluorescent spots, choroidal permeability alte rations) could support the theory of Gass which considers that ICNV is not idiopathic but secondary to a widespread choroidal inflammatory d isease. The similarity of the ICGA alterations in ICNV and MC, the obs ervation that cases of ICNV would become MC in the follow-up, could al low the hypothesis of a close connection between these two affections.