Dynamics of visual acuity, optical coherence tomography (OСT) and OСT angiography indicators of patients with dry form of age-related macular degeneration using double filtration plasmapheresis

Purpose: to study the structural and functional changes in the macular zone in patients with dry age-related macular degeneration (dAMD) according to optical coherence tomography (OCT), OCT angiography (OCTA) and visometry after the use of cascade plasma filtration. Materials and methods. A total of 63 patients (94 eyes) with intermediate-stage sAMD were randomly divided into two groups. Group 1 (main) included 34 patients (52 eyes) who underwent 4 cascade plasmafiltration (CPF) procedures on the OctoNova device using the Plasmaflo plasma filter and the Cascadeflo EC40 fractionator once a week for 1 month. Group 2 (control) included 29 patients (42 eyes) who did not receive any specific treatment. Patients of the main group underwent OCT and OCTA along with a standard ophthalmological examination before the CPF course, as well as after it (1 month from the start of observation), 6 and 12 months after treatment. Patients of the control group also underwent a similar examination at the specified times — 1, 6, 12 months from the start of follow-up. Results. According to OCT, OCTA and visometry data, positive dynamics of structural and functional indices of the macular retina are observed in patients with sAMD after CPF. At the same time, a statistically significant difference between the two groups is noted starting from the first month and persists for 12 months of follow-up, which indicates stabilization of the pathological process during the specified period. Conclusion. OCT, OCTA and visometry data demonstrate improvement of the structural and functional indices of the macular zone in patients with sAMD after the use of CPF. A decrease in the risk of disease progression to a late stage and stabilization of visual functions are noted. In our study, the positive effect of the CPF persisted for 12 months, however, obviously, the positive result of the procedure is temporary, which justifies the need for further observations to determine the optimal timing of repeated courses.