CLINICOPATHOLOGICAL CORRELATIONS OF SURGICALLY EXCISED TYPE-1 AND TYPE-2 SUBMACULAR CHOROIDAL NEOVASCULAR MEMBRANES

Purpose: To correlate the histologic and clinical classification of ty pe 1 (subretinal pigment epithelium) and type 2 (subsensory retina) ch oroidal neovascularization. Methods: Ten eyes of 10 patients with surg ically excised choroidal neovascularization that were routinely proces sed and could be histologically classified as having a type 1 or type 2 configuration were studied. The patients were clinically classified as having type 1 or type 2 choroidal neovascularization according to p reoperative fundus appearance of both eyes and patient age. The histol ogic and clinical classifications were made in a masked fashion, and t he results were compared. Results: The histologic classification was t ype 1 and type 2 for three and seven specimens, respectively. The clin ical classification matched the histologic classification in nine of 1 0 cases, Clinical fundus characteristics that distinguished type 2 cho roidal neovascularization included a subretinal pigmented halo or pigm ented plaque in the area of the choroidal neovascularization and sharp ly defined borders. Patients with type 1 membranes were on average old er (76 years) than patients with type 2 membranes (53 years). Conclusi ons: It is generally possible to clinically ascertain by clinical fund us appearance and age of a patient whether subfoveal choroidal neovasc ularization represents a type 1 or type 2 configuration. (C) 1998 by E lsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.