Polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy

PCV is an ocular disease characterised by abnormally shaped vessels in the choroid.{{Cite web |title=Polypoidal Choroidal Vasculopathy - Patients - The American Society of Retina Specialists |url=https://www.asrs.org/patients/retinal-diseases/30/polypoidal-choroidal-vasculopathy |access-date=2022-08-18 |website=www.asrs.org |archive-date=2022-04-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220426055124/https://www.asrs.org/patients/retinal-diseases/30/polypoidal-choroidal-vasculopathy |url-status=live }} It is described as an exudative maculopathy, characterised by multiple recurrent serosanguineous retinal pigment epithelial detachments.{{cite journal |last1=Chawla |first1=Harshika |last2=Vohra |first2=Vishal |title=Polypoidal Choroidal Vasculopathy |journal=StatPearls |date=2022 |url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK567780/ |publisher=StatPearls Publishing |access-date=2022-08-19 |archive-date=2022-09-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220920035439/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK567780/ |url-status=live }} Elevated reddish to orange lesions on fundus examination, dilated inner choroidal vessels, and polypoidal vascular structures beneath the retinal detachment are other features of PCV.{{cite journal |last1=van Dijk |first1=Elon H. C. |last2=Mohabati |first2=Danial |last3=Veselinovic |first3=Simona |last4=Chung |first4=Wing H. |last5=Dijkman |first5=Greet |last6=Boon |first6=Camiel J. F. |title=The spectrum of polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy in Caucasians: clinical characteristics and proposal of a classification |journal=Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology |date=1 February 2021 |volume=259 |issue=2 |pages=351–361 |doi=10.1007/s00417-020-04844-z |pmid=32812132 |pmc=7843551 |s2cid=221167981 |language=en |issn=1435-702X|doi-access=free }}

PCV is believed to occur due to abnormalities in the inner choroidal vessels. Since it shares many similarities with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), it was previously considered as a subtype of AMD, but later studies shown that PCV may be a variant of type 1 neovascularization of any origin.{{cite journal |last1=Cheung |first1=Chui Ming Gemmy |last2=Lai |first2=Timothy Y. Y. |last3=Ruamviboonsuk |first3=Paisan |last4=Chen |first4=Shih-Jen |last5=Chen |first5=Youxin |last6=Freund |first6=K. Bailey |last7=Gomi |first7=Fomi |last8=Koh |first8=Adrian H. |last9=Lee |first9=Won-Ki |last10=Wong |first10=Tien Yin |title=Polypoidal Choroidal Vasculopathy: Definition, Pathogenesis, Diagnosis, and Management |journal=Ophthalmology |date=May 2018 |volume=125 |issue=5 |pages=708–724 |doi=10.1016/j.ophtha.2017.11.019 |pmid=29331556 |issn=1549-4713|doi-access=free }}

PCV may be diagnosed during a routine dilated fundus examination by an ophthalmologist. Fluorescein angiography, Indocyanine green angiography and Optical coherence tomography is also used to diagnose PCV. Since it gives better imaging of choroidal structures, ICGA is more preferred.

In PCV, sudden blurring of vision or a scotoma in the central field of vision may occur in one or both eyes. Another symptom is metamorphopsia. Signs include polypoidal lesions, orange-red lesions in fundus, subretinal fluid, retinal detachment, subretinal hemorrhages, subretinal fibrinous material, hard exudates and drusen.

If there is presence of polyps without clinical signs of subretinal detachment or hemorrhage, it is classified as Quiescent. It is classified as Active, if there is subretinal or intraretinal fluid, pigment epithelial detachment, subretinal hemorrhage, or fluorescein leakage. Active lesions are further classified as Exudative, Hemorrhagic or Mixed forms.

Irreversible vision loss in the central field of vision is a complication of PCV. It may also cause choroidal ischemia, inflammation and breaks in Bruch's membrane.

Treatment options of PCV include careful observation, photodynamic therapy, Thermal laser, intravitreal injection of anti-VEGF therapy, or combination therapy.{{cite web |title=Polypoidal Choroidal Vasculopathy - EyeWiki |url=https://eyewiki.aao.org/Polypoidal_Choroidal_Vasculopathy |website=eyewiki.aao.org |language=en |access-date=2022-08-19 |archive-date=2022-02-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220201063853/https://eyewiki.aao.org/Polypoidal_Choroidal_Vasculopathy |url-status=live }}

PCV is commonly seen in patients of age 60-72 years, and can affect both sexes.{{cite journal |last1=Anantharaman |first1=Giridhar |last2=Sheth |first2=Jay |last3=Bhende |first3=Muna |last4=Narayanan |first4=Raja |last5=Natarajan |first5=Sundaram |last6=Rajendran |first6=Anand |last7=Manayath |first7=George |last8=Sen |first8=Parveen |last9=Biswas |first9=Rupak |last10=Banker |first10=Alay |last11=Gupta |first11=Charu |title=Polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy: Pearls in diagnosis and management |journal=Indian Journal of Ophthalmology |date=July 2018 |volume=66 |issue=7 |pages=896–908 |doi=10.4103/ijo.IJO_1136_17 |pmid=29941728 |pmc=6032720 |issn=0301-4738 |doi-access=free }} Prevalence is more in Asian and African descent than Caucasians. PCV is commonly seen in males in Asian population and females in Caucasian population. In Chinese and Japanese population, prevalence rates in patients with presumed AMD is approximately 24.5%-54.7%, 49% in the Taiwanese population and 24.6% in the Korean population, while in Caucasian patients with presumed AMD, prevalence rate is only 4% - 9.8%.

Lawrence Yannuzzi first described the Polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy in 1982.

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Category:Disorders of choroid and retina