Purpose: To assess the role of serum endothelin-1 (ET-1) in the pathogenesis of central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC).
Design: Prospective, case control study.
Methods: The serum ET-1 levels of 21 otherwise healthy patients who received a diagnosis of acute CSC (group 1) were measured with the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method at the initial visit, at the one month follow-up examination, and after complete angiographic resolution of the leakage. Nine patients with a previous diagnosis of CSC (group 2), 10 patients from the outpatient clinic (group 3), and 14 hospital employees (group 4) were also included.
Results: The serum ET-1 levels in group 1 revealed neither correlation with the disease activity nor significant difference from the levels in groups 2 and 4. However, serum ET-1 levels in group 3 were statistically higher than the levels in groups 1 and 4.
Conclusion: These findings suggest no role of serum ET-1 in pathogenesis of CSC in otherwise healthy subjects.