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Macular edema: clinical pattern and imaging
Author(s) -
GIANI A,
PELLEGRINI M,
INVERNIZZI A,
STAURENGHI G
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
acta ophthalmologica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.534
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1755-3768
pISSN - 1755-375X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1755-3768.2011.4312.x
Subject(s) - optical coherence tomography , macular edema , retinal pigment epithelium , medicine , ophthalmology , retinal , fluorescein angiography , autofluorescence , retina , edema , macular degeneration , fundus (uterus) , surgery , optics , neuroscience , fluorescence , biology , physics
Macular edema is a common feature in different retinal and chorioretinal disorders. It is often the major cause of vision impairment in these pathologies. Edema can be evaluated in clinic practice with different diagnostic modalities. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has become the most important tool for the evaluation and quantification of macular edema. Spectral‐domain OCT (SD‐OCT) represents the latest advancement in OCT technology and provides unprecedented visualization of retinal structure. Therefore, using SD‐OCT it is possible to better characterize the pattern of presentation of macular edema, in regards of the retinal layers involved. Moreover, SD‐OCT allows the visualization of photoreceptors alteration, which is directly correlated with visual loss. Another fundamental tool for the evaluation of macular edema is fluorescein angiography (FA). However, this diagnostic technique allows studying the leakage from the vessels, rather than the accumulation of fluid within the retina. Therefore FA provides different information compared to SD‐OCT, and the two tools should be considered complementary, rather than interchangeable. Fundus autofluorescence (FAF) is a non‐invasive tool that provides additional information in pathologies characterized by macular edema. In particular, the displacement of macular pigment induced by cystoid spaces within the retina increases the autofluorescence from the underlying pigment epithelium. In a confocal system, this results in precise visualization of the cysts that can be therefore monitored throughout the time.