Purpose: To characterize cross-sectional images of idiopathic polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV).
Methods: A cross-sectional and retrospective study was performed involving 28 eyes with PCV and 112 eyes with exudative age-related macular degeneration. The frequency and dimensions of the retinal pigment epithelial detachment (RPED) with attenuation of internal reflectivity on optical coherence tomographic (OCT) examination were compared in both diseases.
Results: OCT showed the RPED with attenuation of internal reflectivity corresponding to the polypoidal structure in the indocyanine green angiogram in 75% of eyes with PCV, which was significantly more frequent than in eyes with exudative age-related macular degeneration (3.6%). In lesions suspicious of exudative age-related macular degeneration or PCV, the RPED with attenuation of internal reflectivity on OCT images strongly supported PCV diagnosis with a sensitivity of 84% and a specificity of 94%. The base diameter (p=0.010) and base diameter times height (p=0.028) of RPED were smaller in PCV than in exudative age-related macular degeneration.
Conclusions: An RPED with attenuation of internal reflectivity in OCT examination is a highly sensitive and specific finding which characterizes PCV. Recognition of this RPED appearance, as well as the evaluation of its size, aids in the diagnosis of PCV.