Ophthalmic plaque radiotherapy for age-related macular degeneration aociated with ubretinal neovacularization Original Reearch Article

PURPOE: To evaluate ophthalmic plaque radiotherapy for the treatment of ubretinal neovacularization aociated with age-related macular degeneration. METHOD: In a propective phae I clinical trial, we treated 23 patient (23 eye) with ophthalmic plaque radiotherapy for ubfoveal exudative macular degeneration. Palladium 103 ophthalmic plaque brachytherapy wa delivered to a retinal apex doe of 1,250 to 2,362 cGy (rad). Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy tudy type viual acuity determination, ophthalmic examination, and angiography were performed before and after treatment. Clinical evaluation were performed in a nonrandomized and unmaked fahion. REULT: Patient were followed up for a mean (±D) of 19 ± 10.7 month (range, 3 to 37 month). ix month after radiation therapy, three (16%) of 19 eye had lot 3 or more line of bet-corrected viual acuity; 12 month after radiation therapy, four eye (31% of 13 eye), and 24 month after radiation therapy, only two (22% of nine eye) lot 3 or more line of viual acuity. No eye uffered udden irreverible lo of central viion. No radiation retinopathy, optic neuropathy, or cataract could be attributed to radiotherapy within thi follow-up period. CONCLUION: Ophthalmic plaque radiotherapy can be ued to treat neovacular age-related macular degeneration. In contrat to external beam radiotherapy, ophthalmic plaque radiotherapy i a unilateral treatment, which allow a larger doe to be delivered to the macula with le irradiation of normal ocular tructure. We have found no ight-limiting complication at the doe, doe rate, and follow-up evaluated in thi tudy.