[Correlations of fluorescein angiography and optical coherence tomography (OCT) in the diagnosis of age-related macular degeneration].

Diagnostic tools for macular disease have developped over the last years due both to the elaboration of new methods of approach and to the improvement of the already existing ones. Fluorescein angiography (FA) is a minimally invasive procedure that involves photographic surveillance of the blood circulation of the retina and choroid, thus offering data on fundus pathology In eyes with AMD (Age Related Macular Degeneration) the assessment through FA is necessary in order to confirm the presence of CNV (Choroidal Neovascular Membrane). Beside that, FA offers details about the size, location and type (occult or classic) of CNV and it is useful in the followup after treatment. OCT (Optical Coherence Tomography) is a modern imagistic method, that is non-invasive, easily repetable and lacks complications. It acquires in vivo images that represent cross-sections of the retina. In the last years it has become an ever more popular diagnostic tool. OCT imaging is able to detect the presence of CNV and of sub- and intraretinal fluid accumulation. During the last decade, the management of neovascular AMD has changed, as anti-VEGF therapy has become the treatment of choice for all subfoveal CNV lesions types (occult and classic). Some clinicians tend to overlook the importance of FA assessment and rely only on visual acuity and OCT imaging for establishing both diagnosis and indication of treatment. Experts in the field say that these two investigations provide complementary information. They agree that the anatomical data offered by OCT imaging should be supported by the proof that an active exudation exists, which can only be provided by FA. At this moment the management of AMD includes both FA and OCT scanning. Several studies have tried to determine which OCT parameters corelate best with the activity of CNV as it appears on FA photographs. Further on, we shall present a few clinical cases that we consider representative for the topic.