Background and objective: To evaluate the ability of optical coherence tomography (OCT) to predict the risk of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) tear in patients with choroidal neovascular membrane associated with pigment epithelium detachment treated with bevacizumab.
Patients and methods: Retrospective observational case series of 24 consecutive patients treated with bevacizumab. All patients had sequential OCT scans performed before treatment and during follow-up. Six patients developed an RPE tear. Eighteen patients served as the non-tear group.
Results: Wavy RPE indentations or small interruptions and breaks in the elevated RPE were evident in all six patients who developed an RPE tear, whereas only two of the remaining 18 patients had such findings (P < .001).
Conclusion: Indentations or minute interruptions and breaks in the RPE layer seen on OCT were correlated with increased risk of developing an RPE tear in patients with pigment epithelium detachment following treatment with bevacizumab.
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