Back pain after photodynamic therapy with verteporfin.

Purpose To report the incidence of back pain after photodynamic therapy, which suggests methods for prevention that are related to its pathogenesis. Design Retrospective case series. Methods We retrospectively observed 548 patients who had undergone photodynamic therapy with verteporfin. Results Of 548 patients at the first treatment, 14 patients (2.6%) experienced pain during the infusion. Eleven patients were being treated for age-related macular degeneration; their mean age was 81 years, which significantly differed from the mean age of the overall age-related macular degeneration group ( P = .003). The pain was mild in eight patients, moderate in four patients, and severe in two patient…