New imaging techniques brought significant changes in practice of French retinal specialists

Olivier Lebreton

PARIS — The introduction of increasingly sophisticated diagnostic tools, the focus on prevention and early diagnosis, and new therapeutic options that require repeated treatments and close surveillance have produced significant changes in the practice of posterior segment specialists in the last decade.

A study carried out in four public hospitals in France showed that between 2000 and 2009 the number of consultations increased by 46% and the total number of retinal imaging examinations grew by as much as 317%.

"If we look at individual imaging modalities, numbers look even more astonishing. We are performing 1,600% more retinographies and 1,500% more [optical coherence tomography] scans," Olivier Lebreton, MD, said at the meeting of the French Society of Ophthalmology.

Older techniques are on the decrease, with 33% less demand for fluorescein angiography and 18% less for indocyanine green angiography.

"If angiography represented 79% of imaging procedures in 2000, retinography and OCT represent the 34% and 51%, respectively, in 2009," Dr. Lebreton said.

Disclosure: Dr. Lebreton has no direct financial interest in the products discussed in this article, nor is he a paid consultant for any companies mentioned.