Verteporfin Photodynamic Therapy for the Treatment of Persistent Subfoveal Choroidal Neovascularization After External Beam Radiotherapy: One-year Results

Purpose: To determine the safety and efficacy of verteporfin photodynamic therapy (PDT) for the treatment of persistent choroidal neovascularization (CNV) previously treated with external beam radiotherapy (EBRT).

Design: Retrospective case series.

Methods: Verteporfin PDT was performed on 14 eyes of 13 patients with symptomatic leakage from CNV previously treated by EBRT. Principal outcome measures were: comparison of visual acuity at 12 months post-PDT with baseline and the recording of any ocular or systemic adverse events.

Results: At baseline, the mean logMAR (+/-SD) VA was 0.81 +/- 0.33, whereas at the 12-month point it was 0.89 +/- 0.43 (P = .326). At the 12-month examination 10 eyes had lost less than 3 lines of VA, and 8 eyes had lost less than 1.5 lines. During this time, there were 2.1 PDT treatment sessions per eye on average (range = 1 to 4). There were no ocular or systemic adverse events recorded.

Conclusions: This short-term study shows that verteporfin PDT is safe after EBRT and may be of benefit for recalcitrant CNV.