Pachychoroid Spectrum

    Abstract

    Pachychoroid Spectrum

    Aylin Karalezli, Sabahattin Sul

    Department of Ophthalmology, Mugla Sitki Kocman University School of Medicine, Mugla, Turkey

    The pachychoroid clinical spectrum is a group of macular diseases that manifest similar choroidal findings such as focal or diffuse increase in choroidal thickness and dilated outer choroidal vessels. Choroidal congestion and hyperpermeability have been frequently described in this spectrum.Increased choroidal thickening, pathologically dilated veins in the Haller’s layer (pachy-veins), thinning in Sattler’s and choriocapilleris layers. Although there is no consensus on this issue and it is highly controversial, the spectrum comprises the following 4 disease groups: Pachychoroid Pigment Epitheliopathy (PPE), Central Serous Chorioretinopathy (CSCR), Pachychoroid Neovasculopathy (PN) and Polipoidal Choroidal Vasculopathy (PCV). Pachychoroid diseases benefit from a multimodal imaging approach, to avoid misdiagnosis as other conditions including AMD, pattern dystrophy, punctate inner choroidopathy, and retinal pigment epitheliitis.Common clinical and imaging findings in patients with pachychoroid andtheir treament modalities are discussed in detail in this review.

    Key words: pachychoroid pigment epitheliopathy; central serous chorioretinopathy; pachychoroid neovasculopathy; polipoidal choroidal vasculopathy.