[Correlation of pathological features of surgically excised choroidal neovascular membranes with age-related macular degeneration and indocyanine green videoangiographic findings].

We surgically excised subfoveal neovascular membranes from eight patients with age-related macular degeneration. The correlation of the histopathological features of choroidal neovascularization and preoperative indocyanine green (ICG) videoangiographic findings were studied. Neovascular membranes which demonstrated hyperfluorescence at an early phase of ICG videoangiography had many vascular channels and a large lumen without enclosure of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). Fibrovascular tissues contained small vessels with fibrotic stroma that showed hyperfluorescence only at a late phase of ICG videoangiography. In contrast, the membrane which showed hypofluorescence of ICG videoangiography was composed of paucivascular fibrotic tissue covered extensively with RPE. Moreover, newly formed vessels with proliferative endothelium could be observed in the neovascular membranes that showed weak fluorescence or hypofluorescence. These results could provide a morphological basis for the interpretation of ICG videoangiographic features of choroidal neovascularization. It also may be useful in planning the treatment for subfoveal neovascular membranes.