Clinical characteristics of 254 cases of polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy

Objective To observe the clinical characteristics of polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV). Methods Two hundreds fifty-four PCV patients (306 eyes) were enrolled in this study. All the patients were examined for corrected visual acuity (BCVA) testing, slit-lamp microscope, indirect ophthalmoscopy, fundus photography, fluorescein angiography, indocyanine green angiography and optic coherence tomography. Results The patients included 152 males (59.8%) and 102 females (40.2%); the age was from 38 to 91 years, with a mean age of (65.4plusmn;8.9) years. Bilateral lesions were observed in 52 patients (20.5%) and unilateral lesions were observed in 202 patients (79.5%). BCVA varied from non-light perception to 1.2. BCVA was lower than ＜0.1 in 167 eyes (54.6%), ge;0.1 but ＜0.3 in 92 eyes (30.1%) and ge;0.3 in 47 eyes (15.4%). Vitreous hemorrhage was observed in 61 eyes (19.9%). In 202 patients with unilateral PCV lesions, drusen can be observed in the contralateral eyes of 68 patients (33.7%), exudative agerelated macular degeneration changes in the contralateral eyes of 24 patients (11.9%), and central serous chorioretinopathy history was positive in the contralateral eyes in nine patients (4.5%). In 306 eyes, there were 43 eyes (14.1%) with high permeable choroid. PCV lesions located at macula area in 199 eyes (65.0%), under the temporal retinal vascular arcade in 49 eyes (16.0%), and peripapillary in 15 eyes (4.9%). PCV lesion formation was single in 110 eyes (35.9%), cluster in 176 eyes (57.5%), string in three eyes (1.0%), branch in four eyes (1.3%), and both single and cluster polyps in 13 eyes (4.2%). There were 125 eyes (40.8%) with sub-neuroretinal fluid, 121 eyes (39.5%) with hemorrhagic pigment epithelium detachment, and 73 eyes (22.9%) with serous pigment epithelium detachment. Conclusion PCV patients have higher bilateral incidence and female prevalence, and lower rate of peripapillary lesions.