The occurrence and progression of outer retinal tubulation in Chinese patients after intravitreal injections of ranibizumab

To investigate the occurrence and progression of outer retinal tubulation (ORT) in Chinese patients after intravitreal ranibizumab injections, using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) with eye tracking function. 15 age related macular degeneration (AMD) and 6 polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) eyes of 21 patients were enrolled and assessed by SD-OCT. One patient received photodynamic therapy (PDT) previously, and all patients received intravitreal injections of ranibizumab. At baseline, only one AMD eye (4.8%) showed ORT, which appeared as round or ovoid hyporeflective spaces with hyperreflective borders. During the follow ups, ORT was identified in nine of 15 AMD eyes (60.0%) and one of six PCV eyes (16.7%). These new ORTs in 10 eyes were originated from the intraretinal fluid. Inner nuclear layer (INL), outer plexiform layer (OPL) and outer nuclear layer (ONL) were pulled down to form "cynapsis", separating each ORT. However, ORT in 3 eyes disappeared after intravitreal ranibizumab injections. This is the first observation on the occurrence and progression of ORT in Chinese AMD and PCV patients, in a point to point manner. The ORT could become stable or disappear after ranibizumab injections, and outer retina involved in the process of ORT formation.