Surgical excision of neovascularization in retinal angiomatous proliferation.

Background: We report the postoperative outcomes of surgical neovascularization excision in patients with retinal angiomatous proliferation (RAP).

Methods: Nine eyes of eight patients with RAP who underwent surgical excision of neovascularization were studied. Surgical indications were as follows: RAP diagnosed by fluorescein and indocyanine green angiography, foveal or perifoveal neovascularization, preoperative visual acuity of 0.1 or less, Yannuzzi's stage II with detachment of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) or stage III, and leakage on late-phase fluorescein angiography. After cataract surgery, vitreous surgery and neovascularization excision were conducted, followed by fluid-air or fluid-gas exchange.

Results: Visual acuity was 0.02-0.1 before surgery and 0.03-0.2 after surgery. Macular hole formation was seen in one eye but did not lead to retinal detachment. In two eyes, subretinal bleeding occurred during excision leading to vitreous bleeding after surgery. Although defects of the RPE and choriocapillaries were observed after surgery, the exudation and bleeding were absorbed.

Conclusions: In stage II RAP cases with RPE detachment, surgical excision maintains constant postoperative visual acuity but results in defects of RPE and choriocapillaris; therefore, other treatment options should be examined. Surgical excision of stage III RAP seems to be promising, as postoperative visual acuity remains stable after neovascularization removal in those advanced pathologic situations.