[Neovascularization corneal regression in patients treated with photodynamic therapy with verteporfin].

Background: Corneal neovascularization is a vision-threatening condition usually associated with inflammatory or infectious disorders of the ocular surface. One current treatment is photodynamic therapy, which uses a photosensitizer to occlude the vessel, is successfully produced microvascular thrombosis with minimal damage to surrounding normal tissue. The aim of this article is to quantitatively determine the percentage of regression of corneal neovascularization experienced by patients treated with photodynamic therapy with verteporfin.

Methods: A before and after treatment; experimental, analytical, prospective and longitudinal.

Results: Of the 25 new vessels analyzed, 8 glasses (32 %) had total occlusion one month after, 15 vessels (60 %) had a partial occlusion in the range of 15.3 to 85.1 %, and 2 vessels (8 %) worsening in corneal vascularization. The mean area of corneal neovascularization decreased significantly a 70 % from 0.147 ± 0.118 mm2 to 0.045 ± 0.046 mm2 (p < 0.0005) after photodynamic therapy. No side efects were reported.

Conclusions: Photodynamic therapy with verteporfin is a safe and effective method of reducing corneal neovascularization and can be used to inhibit angiogenesis in the cornea.