Incidence of outer retinal tubulation in eyes with choroidal neovascularization under intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy in a Japanese population

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the occurrence of outer retinal tubulation (ORT) among patients with different types of choroidal neovascularization (CNV) over time. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this retrospective chart review, disease type was classified as typical age-related macular degeneration (t-AMD), polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV), retinal angiomatous proliferation (RAP), or myopic CNV (mCNV). Spectral domain-optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) images were evaluated for the appearance of ORT and subretinal fibrosis and fluid. Furthermore, the association of the presence of ORT with clinical data and OCT findings was investigated. RESULTS: Among the 136 eyes studied, the overall rates of occurrence of ORT were 7.8%, 18.8%, and 31.6% after 12, 24, and 36 months from baseline, respectively. Among patients with t-AMD, RAP, and mCNV, the occurrence of ORT increased soon after the initial visit. In contrast, among patients with PCV, the occurrence of ORT increased slowly over time. Patients with and without ORT – ORT(+) and ORT(−) groups, respectively – differed significantly in terms of sex ratio and presence of intraretinal fluid at the initial visit and presence of subretinal fibrosis at 3 years from baseline. The ORT(+) group exhibited lower visual acuity (VA; 0.67±0.43) than that of the ORT(−) group (0.41±0.36; P<0.001). CONCLUSION: The occurrence of ORT tended to increase more slowly among eyes diagnosed with PCV than among eyes with other types of CNV.