Photodynamic therapy with verteporfin for choroidal neovascularization due to age-related macular degeneration and other causes: a New Zealand outcomes study.

PURPOSE: To assess the efficacy and safety of photodynamic therapy (PDT) for choroidal neovascularization (CNV) secondary to age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and other conditions by analysing visual acuity changes.

METHODS

A retrospective review of patients treated with PDT was conducted. CNV was confirmed on fluorescein angiography. Visual acuity outcomes were recorded at 3-monthly intervals to a maximum of 48 months. The primary outcome measure was the proportion of patients avoiding moderate visual loss (losing less than three lines of visual acuity relative to baseline) at 12 months.

RESULTS

A total of 343 patients receiving PDT were followed up for a mean of 14.9 months. Two hundred and eighty-five (83%) patients presented with CNV due to AMD and 58 patients (17%) due to other causes. Seventy per cent of patients with CNV secondary to AMD avoided moderate visual loss at both 12 and 24 months. Secondary outcomes (including mean change in visual acuity, proportion of patients with stable or improved vision and proportion of patients with severe vision loss) also compared favourably with the Treatment of Age-Related Macular Degeneration with Photodynamic Therapy (TAP) Investigation. Of patients with CNV secondary to causes other than AMD, 76% avoided moderate visual loss at both 12 and 24 months. The safety profile identified one severe adverse reaction, with development of a serous pigment epithelial detachment and subsequent rip.

CONCLUSION

The results of this present retrospective, open-label, clinical practice study in New Zealand are consistent with the findings of multicentre randomized, placebo-controlled trials and confirm the treatment benefit of PDT in a clinical setting.