Purpose: To characterize the features of choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in neovascular age-related macular degeneration with spectral domain optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) and to determine whether OCTA can be used to determine clinical activity of CNV.
Methods: Observational, retrospective, consecutive case series.
Results: Optical coherence tomography angiography revealed CNV in 28 eyes (62.2%) while 17 eyes (37.8%) did not demonstrate CNV vessels. Choroidal neovascularization was classified as well circumscribed in 12 eyes (42.8%) and poorly circumscribed in 16 eyes (57.2%). Twenty-two eyes with a CNV on OCTA were clinically active, whereas six eyes with visible CNV on OCTA were clinically inactive. Of the 17 eyes that did not have evidence of CNV on OCTA imaging, 14 were clinically inactive and 3 were clinically active. Presence of CNV on OCTA correlated with clinical activity and absence of CNV correlated with inactivity (P < 0.0001).
Conclusion: Optical coherence tomography angiography is a noninvasive imaging technique that can be used to visualize blood flow comprising CNV. Optical coherence tomography angiography detects CNV vessels in some albeit not all eyes with neovascular age-related macular degeneration. Although the presence or absence of CNV vessels on OCTA highly correlated with clinical activity of CNV, the morphologic appearance of CNV on OCTA did not have significant correlation with clinical activity.