Branch retinal artery occlusion associated with photodynamic therapy in a circumscribed choroidal haemangioma

Abstract

We report a case with retinal arteriole occlusion after a single photodynamic therapy (PDT). A 33-year-old man presented with decreased visual acuity of the right eye, 20/200, for four months. Diagnosed as circumscribed choroidal haemangioma (CCH), he was treated with the PDT. Specifically, 6 mg/m(2) of verteporfin was administered intravenously in 10 min. Laser treatment was performed 15 min after the infusion with an exposure of 75 J/cm(2) for 125 s. The patient was followed up a week later and then every month for 5 months. Complaining about central visual field defect two days post treatment, he was diagnosed with inferior macular artery occlusion with FA. After three months further treatment, the tumor regressed completely but local retinal atrophy was observed. The best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 20/30 with visual field defect. Following this, extensive blood tests were performed, revealing no abnormality. Our result indicates that under certain conditions infarction of retinal arterioles can develop following PDT.

Keywords: Branch retinal artery occlusion; Complications; Photodynamic therapy.