Combination Therapy with Photodynamic Therapy and Intravitreal Bevacizumab in Idiopathic Macular Telangiectasia Type I

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: We investigated the clinical manifestations of combination therapy with photodynamic therapy (PDT) and intravitreal bevacizumab in idiopathic macular telangiectasia type I patients. METHODS: The present study included 7 patients who visited our clinic from May 2008 to February 2011 complaining of decreasing visual acuity and diagnosed as idiopathic macular telangiectasia type I including visible aneurysms at juxtafoveal area and telangiectatic vessels leakage based on fluorescein angiography. Additionally, all patients were treated with combination therapy with PDT and intravitreal bevacizumab. RESULTS: Visual acuity improved from 0.48 ± 0.14 (log MAR) to 0.18 ± 0.17 (log MAR) after the combination therapy, however, there was no change in intraocular pressure between before (17.9 ± 3.1) and after (16.8 ± 2.3) therapy. After combination therapy, fluorescein angiography showed decreased leakage of telangiectatic vessels and optical coherence tomography showed only minimal intraretinal edema. Central subfield macular thickness decreased from 301.9 ± 50.7 μm to 193.6 ± 58.8 μm after the combination therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Combination therapy with intravitreal bevacizumab injection and PDT in patients with idiopathic macular telangiectasia type I can result in a rapid decrease of macular edema, which can lead to rapid visual recovery.