LASER-INDUCED MACULAR HOLES DEMONSTRATE IMPAIRED CHOROIDAL PERFUSION

Abstract

PURPOSE: To evaluate choroidal perfusion following creation of a laser-induced macular hole in a nonhuman primate model. METHODS: Six rhesus monkeys underwent macular exposures delivered by a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser. The lesions were evaluated with fluorescein angiography and indocyanine green angiography using scanning laser ophthalmoscopy. RESULTS: Each lesion produced vitreous hemorrhage and progressed to a full-thickness macular hole. Indocyanine green angiography revealed no perfusion of the choriocapillaris beneath the lesion centers. Fluorescein angiography demonstrated mild enlargement of the foveal avascular zone due to loss of perifoveal capillaries. Histopathologic evaluation showed replacement of the choriocapillaris with fibroblasts and connective tissue. CONCLUSIONS: Nd:YAG laser-induced macular holes result in long-term impairment of choroidal perfusion at the base of the hole due to choroidal scarring and obliteration of the choriocapillaris. Evaluation of choroidal perfusion may be useful in assessment of laser-injured patients. Impairment in choroidal perfusion may have functional implications for surviving photoreceptors.