Predicting Macular Atrophy in AMD Patients Using Hyper-Reflective Foci
Author Information
Author(s): Viggiano Pasquale, Boscia Giacomo, Giannaccare Giuseppe, Santoro Michele, Petrara Giovanni, Borriello Ciro, Borrelli Enrico, Reibaldi Michele, Grassi Maria Oliva, Alessio Giovanni, Boscia Francesco
Primary Institution: University of Bari “Aldo Moro”
Hypothesis
Can the characteristics of hyper-reflective foci (HRF) in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) predict the development of macular atrophy after anti-VEGF therapy?
Conclusion
The quantity of hyper-reflective foci in the outer retina at baseline is correlated with the development of macular atrophy after anti-VEGF treatment.
Supporting Evidence
- The number of HRF in the inner and outer retina layers showed significant reduction after 12 months of anti-VEGF treatment.
- The multivariate linear regression analysis revealed that the most substantial associations with the development of macular atrophy were tied to the number of HRFs in the outer retina.
- Patients with more HRFs at baseline had a higher chance of developing macular atrophy after treatment.
Takeaway
Doctors looked at special spots in the eyes of patients with a certain type of vision problem to see if they could tell if those patients would get worse over time. They found that more spots at the start meant a higher chance of getting worse later.
Methodology
This was a retrospective analysis of 61 treatment-naïve eyes diagnosed with exudative AMD and type 1 macular neovascularization, assessing HRF and their association with macular atrophy over 2 years.
Potential Biases
Manual counting of HRFs may introduce interobserver variability.
Limitations
The study's retrospective design limits the assessment of HRF repeatability and only included horizontal OCT scans centered on the fovea.
Participant Demographics
Mean age of participants was 78.7 years, with 24 males and 37 females.
Statistical Information
P-Value
P = 0.039 for 12 months, P = 0.007 for 24 months
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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