RETREATMENT WITH ANTI–VASCULAR ENDOTHELIAL GROWTH FACTOR THERAPY BASED ON CHANGES IN VISUAL ACUITY AFTER INITIAL STABILIZATION OF NEOVASCULAR AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION

Abstract

To evaluate the 3-year therapeutic benefit of intravitreal bevacizumab in neovascular related macular degeneration (nAMD) in a standard clinical setting involving 3 initial injections and a pro re nata regimen as recommended in the PRONTO study. In this interventional clinical study, 181 eyes of 160 consecutive patients with active neovascular related macular degeneration meeting recommended criteria for inclusion and protocol criteria for anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy undergoing intravitreal bevacizumab monotherapy were observed. Data of treatment-naive eyes (Group 1, n = 114) were analyzed separately from eyes that had undergone previous photodynamic therapy plus intravitreal triamcinolone (Group 2, n = 67). Re-treatment criteria were based on clinical outcome following the official European label regimen. After 1 year of continuous service at an academic referral center, follow-up was performed in private practices in collaboration with the referral center. Main outcome parameters were best-corrected visual acuity and central retinal thickness. After 3 years, best-corrected visual acuity decreased in the overall population (0.23 ± 0.16 to 0.16 ± 0.21. P = 0.002) and in both groups compared with baseline (0.24 ± 0.21 to 0.17 ± 0.21, Group 1, P = 0.03; 0.22 ± 0.19 to 0.16 ± 0.21, Group 2, P > 0.05), whereas central retinal thickness increased in the overall population (291 ± 92 to 319 ± 110 μm, P = 0.01) and in both groups (291 ± 96 to 325 ± 117 μm, Group 1, P > 0.05; 290 ± 83 to 308 ± 96 μm, Group 2, P > 0.05) because of chronic cystic degeneration changes of the macula. Mean treatment rate was 5.1 ± 3.9 (Group 1) versus 3.7 ± 2.7 (Group 2, P = 0.01). Five cases of severe intraocular inflammation after intravitreal bevacizumab were documented. While the functional and morphological benefits persisted for the first year after intravitreal bevacizumab treatment, after this time both functional and morphologic results were disappointing during long-term follow-up with visual acuity loss as the main retreatment criterion. After stabilization of the disease, a monthly follow-up of optical coherence tomography and re-treatment based on morphologic, clinical, and vision outcomes may increase the efficacy in patients with neovascular related macular degeneration under anti-vascular endothelial growth factor treatment.