Retina-Vitreous
2009 , Vol 17 , Num 3
Assessment of Neovascular Armd Activity with a New Clinical Activity Scoring
Gazi Universitesi Tıp Fakültesi, Göz Hastalıkları A.D., Ankara, Doç. Dr.
With the emergence of anti-VEGF treatment for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) lesions, it is becoming more and more important to assess the activity of the lesion to decide on additional treatments. This is because of both economical problems related to high cost of the treatment as well as injection and drug related complication risks. Nobody is sure about when to stop treatment and when to treat. There are no clear criteria to define an active lesion and to define the response of the lesion to the treatment. Here, an activity scoring system (ASS) which can easily be applied to all of the CNV lesions is suggested to define the lesions by quantifying the activity to determine the need for treatment. This ASS uses, presence of subretinal or intraretinal fluid in Optical Coherence Thomography (OCT), haemorhage associated with the lesion, Florescein Angiography (FA) staining pattern, change in size of the lesion and changes in objective (measured) visual acuity and subjective vision (what the patient feels). Implementing an activity scoring system can assist in standardizing the assessments of activity of neovascular AMD lesions and assess the treatment effects. It also has the potential to decrease the number of unnecessary treatments.
Keywords :
Neovascular age related macular degeneration, anti-VEGF treatment, activity score, activity assessment, retreatment criteria