Diabetic retinopathy. Is it a maculopathy? A super-wide fluorescein angiographic evaluation.

We evaluated 74 eyes with diabetic retinopathy with our newly developed panoramic fluorescein angiographic technique. Particular attention was paid to the topological distribution of vaso-occlusive and vasoformative lesions in the posterior and midperipheral fundus. A numerical evaluation system was used to assess the vaso-occlusive lesions by dividing each fundus into maximally 418 units. We could prove that the midperipheral fundus area outer to the radial peripapillary capillaries was prone to undergo capillary nonperfusion and that the area of nonperfusion was more extensive in eyes with neovascularization from the retina or the optic disc. Neovascularizations usually occurred in the midperipheral retina or the optic disc but not in the macula. The importance of midperipheral retina is stressed in the diagnosis and treatment of diabetic retinopathy.