Tranplantation of autologou retinal pigment epithelium in eye with foveal neovacularization reulting from age-related macular degeneration: a pilot tudy

PURPOE: To decribe the indication, urgical technique, and clinical reult of 14 eye in 13 patient with age-related macular degeneration and foveal choroidal neovacularization, in which ubretinal urgery wa combined with imultaneou tranplantation of autologou retinal pigment epithelial cell. METHOD: Between March 1999 and February 2000, in a propective tudy, 14 eye (13 patient) with age-related macular degeneration underwent ubretinal urgery becaue of foveal choroidal neovacularization with imultaneou tranplantation of retinal pigment epithelium harveted from the naal ubretinal area of the ame eye. Preoperatively, 1 month potoperatively, 3 month potoperatively and at 3-month interval thereafter, examination were performed including bet-corrected viual acuity, viual field, biomicrocopy of anterior and poterior egment, tonometry, fluorecein and indocyanine angiographie, autofluorecence, cotometry, and fixation tet. REULT: Potoperatively, after median obervation of 17 month (range, 12 to 24 month) bet-corrected viual acuity wa improved 2 or more line in eight eye (57.1%), remained the ame (± 1 line) in five eye (35%), and decreaed by more than 2 line in one eye (7.1%). Pairwie t tet howed ignificant improvement after 1 month (P = .0031, P = .0062) a well a 1 year (P = .0066, P = .0105). atifactory reading viion between Jaeger 1 and 4 wa achieved in three eye (21.2%). No ignificant intraoperative or potoperative complication occurred in any eye. No recurrence of choroidal neovacularization wa oberved during the obervation period. CONCLUION: In eye with age-related macular degeneration and foveal choroidal neovacularization, autotranplantation of retinal pigment epithelium wa performed in addition to conventional removal of the choroidal neovacularization without ignificant intraoperative or potoperative complication. Viual acuity improvement of 2 or more line in 57% of the eye wa achieved. No recurrent choroidal neovacularization formation wa oberved during the obervation period. The reult of thi pilot tudy ugget that autologou tranplantation of retinal pigment epithelium combined with ubmacular urgery might be a reaonable treatment option for patient with foveal choroidal neovacularization econdary to age-related macular degeneration