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Efficacy of intravitreal bevacizumab (Avastin ® ) therapy for early and advanced neovascular age‐related macular degeneration
Author(s) -
Krebs Ilse,
Lie Shilla,
Stolba Ulrike,
Zeiler Florian,
Felke Stefan,
Binder Susanne
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
acta ophthalmologica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.534
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1755-3768
pISSN - 1755-375X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1755-3768.2008.01312.x
Subject(s) - macular degeneration , bevacizumab , medicine , ophthalmology , choroidal neovascularization , surgery , chemotherapy
. Purpose: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of intravitreal bevacizumab therapy for early and advanced neovascular age‐related macular degeneration (ARMD). Methods: A consecutive series of eyes with neovascular ARMD treated with monthly intravitreal injections of bevacizumab (1.25 mg/0.05 ml) as long as there was evidence of activity on fluorescein angiography (FA) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) was included and observed for 6 months. For further analysis they were assigned to either an early (untreated/newly diagnosed) or an advanced (predominantly fibrotic/pre‐treated) ARMD group. We examined distance visual acuity (VA) with Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) charts and central retinal thickness with OCT, as well as lesion size and safety aspects. Results: Forty‐four patients (44 eyes) were enrolled (21 early lesions, 23 advanced lesions). Mean VA changed from 0.74 logMAR at baseline to 0.68 logMAR at month 6 ( P = 0.01). Improvement in VA was statistically significant only in eyes with early lesions ( n = 21) from month 1 ( P = 0.015) up to month 6 ( P = 0.03). The changes in central retinal thickness (CRT) ( P < 0.001) and total lesion size ( P < 0.001) were significant in both groups (early and advanced) at all time‐points during follow‐up. No significant ocular or systemic adverse effects were observed. Conclusion: Intravitreal bevacizumab was tolerated well by our patients and we did not identify any apparent short‐term safety concerns. We observed stabilization in VA overall, with significant improvement in the early lesion group.