THE RAP STUDY, REPORT 5: REDISCOVERING MACULAR NEOVASCULARIZATION TYPE 3: Multimodal Imaging of Fellow Eyes over 24 months.

PURPOSE: To explore the condition of fellow eyes of patients with macular neovascularization Type 3 (MNV3) and to verify whether the retinal-choroidal anastomosis (RCA) develops equally in all MNV types.

METHODS

The contralateral eyes of 94 patients with MNV3, 96 patients with MNV1, and 96 patients with MNV2 were included. Multimodal imaging was performed. The MNV3 stage including the development of fibrosis and RCA over 24 months was determined.

RESULTS

In the contralateral eyes of patients of the solitary (one lesion) MNV3 group, 32 eyes (42.1%) showed early/intermediate age-related macular degeneration, 25 eyes (33%) showed MNV3, and 11 eyes (14.5%) experienced fibrosis, of which 4 eyes (5.2%) had a RCA, 7 eyes (9.2%) had atrophy after resolved MNV3, and 1 eye (1.3%) developed MNV1. In the multifocal (more than one lesion) MNV3 group, 2 eyes (11.1%) showed early/intermediate age-related macular degeneration, 9 eyes (50%) showed 15 MNV3 lesions, and 4 eyes (22.2%) showed fibrosis, of which 2 eyes (11.1%) manifested with a RCA and 3 eyes (16.7%) showed atrophy after resolved MNV3. The number of eyes with a RCA accounted for 40% of all eyes with fibrosis. The count of simultaneous bilateral multifocal MNV3 was 5 (55.6%). In the MNV1 and MNV2 groups, no eye developed a RCA. The incidence of RCAs in the scarred eyes in MNV3 was significantly higher (P < 0.0001).

CONCLUSION

Retinal-choroidal anastomosis is an exclusive clinical feature of MNV3. The development of the multifocal MNV3 is usually bilateral and simultaneous. The occurrence of fibrosis in MNV3 has decreased dramatically after the introduction of the antiangiogenic therapy.