To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: Photodynamic Therapy Shows Long-Term Success in Treating Choroidal Haemangiomas: Presented at ARVO URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/2207B2.htm Doctor's Guide May 2, 2008
By Cameron Johnston FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla -- May 2, 2008 -- Photodynamic therapy (PDT) may prove to be a useful treatment for choroidal haemangiomas, producing substantial improvements in visual acuity for many patients without causing long-term adverse effects such as choroidal ischaemia or atrophy. In a presentation here at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) 2008 Annual Meeting, Emilio Balestrazzi, MD, Department of Ophthalmology, University Sacro Cuore Eye Clinic, Rome, Italy, presented the outcomes of 22 patients with choroidal haemangioma treated with PDT. Doses of PDT varied, with 3 patients receiving 50 J/cm2 over 83 seconds and the remaining 19 receiving 100 J/cm2 over 166 seconds, Dr. Balestrazzi said in a presentation on May 1. Among the patients who received the high-fluence treatment, none needed retreatment. All tumours in these patients showed marked reductions in thickness and in exudative changes. Ultrasound showed what the investigators described as "remarkable" reductions in tumour height in all patients, while fluorescein angiography showed tumour vascularisation returning to near normal levels, and leakage being entirely stopped. More importantly, the majority of patients experienced significant improvements in visual acuity. Changes from baseline amounting to 7.8 letters on the Early-Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) scale were seen at the 5-month follow-up, and this remained stable for the duration of the follow-up period. At the 3-year follow-up, mean visual acuity was 49.1 ETDRS compared with 38.1 letters at baseline. Retinal thickness also was reduced significantly, from a mean of 371.9 microns at baseline to 175.0 microns at 3 years. There were 2 recurrences, both in patients who received low-fluence PDT. There were 4 cases of retinal pigment epithelium hyperplasia that were not considered to be serious complications. Despite the improvements seen in this small study, and despite the fact that these improvements are maintained at 47 months of follow-up, the investigators report that there are still many unanswered questions about the use of PDT in treating this condition. It is not known, for example, whether certain patients respond better to PDT than do others, and how soon after diagnosis the treatment should be initiated. Questions also remain about the physical parameters of the treatment, including the number of treatments, and the power and duration of therapy that will be needed to produce the best results, Dr. Balestrazzi said. Considering that haemangioma is not a malignant condition, the goal of treatment should be to obtain resolution of the leakage rather than to flatten out the tumour completely, the researchers noted. Furthermore, it is not known whether a complete flattening of the tumour may lead to future recurrence, they added. [Presentation title: Photodynamic Therapy for Choroidal Haemangioma. Long Term Results. Poster A603] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.