Choroidal hypoperfusion after surgical excision of subfoveal neovascular membranes in age-related macular degeneration.

Purpose: To study the choroidal circulation after surgical excision of subfoveal choroidal neovascular membranes (SFCNVM) in age-related macular degeneration (ARMD).

Methods: Twelve eyes of eleven patients with ARMD that underwent surgical excision of SFCNVMs were evaluated with stereoscopic color fundus photography, stereoscopic fluorescein angiography (FA) and scanning laser ophthalmoscope-indocyanine green videoangiography (SLO-ICGv). The patients were followed for a mean of 7.9 months (range 2 to 14 months).

Results: Preoperatively, all eyes had angiographic evidence of a SFCNVM, with SLO-ICGv showing the presence of a choriocapillary blush. Postoperatively, stereoscopic color fundus photographs documented that the bed of the surgical excision was characterized by an absence of visible retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) pigmentation in all eyes. Stereoscopic FA of the excision bed revealed choriocapillary hypofluorescence with visible dye perfusion in the underlying medium and large choroidal vessels in all eyes. SLO-ICGv of the excision bed disclosed the presence of perfused medium and large choroidal vessels, but a marked choroidal hypofluorescence with loss of the choriocapillary and small choroidal vascular filling within the excision bed in eleven of the twelve eyes.

Conclusion: Our results indicate that both choriocapillary and small choroidal vascular filling is frequently abnormal or absent in the bed of surgically excised subfoveal neovascular membranes in ARMD. This finding, which may represent either pathologic or iatrogenic choriocapillary and small choroidal vascular atrophy or occlusion with preservation of perfusion in the underlying medium and large choroidal vessels, may influence structural and visual recovery after submacular surgery for ARMD, despite RPE transplantation or regeneration.