Intravitreal bevacizumab (Avastin) for myopic choroidal neovascularisation: 1-year results of a prospective pilot study.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of the study was to examine the 1-year results of intravitreal bevacizumab for myopic choroidal neovascularisation (CNV).


METHODS
Twenty-nine eyes of 29 patients with myopic CNV were prospectively recruited to receive three initial monthly intravitreal bevacizumab injections. Three additional monthly injections were performed in eyes with persistent or recurrent CNV after 3 months.


RESULTS
The mean spherical equivalent refractive error was -10.0 D. Sixteen eyes had previous photodynamic therapy (PDT) and 13 eyes had no prior PDT. All patients completed follow-up at 1 year. Following the initial three bevacizumab injections, 27 (93.1%) eyes had angiographic closure and two (6.9%) required further treatment. Two additional patients required re-treatment for CNV recurrence between 6 and 9 months. The mean baseline logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR best-corrected visual acuity) was 0.62 (20/83), which improved to 0.38 (20/48) at 12 months (p<0.001). The mean visual improvement was 2.4 lines and 21 (72.4%) eyes had improvement of > or =2 lines. Optical coherence tomography showed significant reduction in central foveal thickness following treatment. Eyes without previous PDT were more likely to gain > or =2 lines after treatment than eyes that had previous PDT (p = 0.010).


CONCLUSIONS
The 1-year outcomes confirmed the results of previous short-term studies that intravitreal bevacizumab is effective for myopic CNV, with a high proportion of patients sustaining visual gain after treatment.
Chan
W-M
WM
Hong Kong Eye Hospital, Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China. cwm6373@netvigator.com
Lai
T Y Y
TY
Liu
D T L
DT
Lam
D S C
DS
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D000068258:Bevacizumab; D020256:Choroidal Neovascularization / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D006801:Humans; D007267:Injections; D008875:Middle Aged; D047728:Myopia, Degenerative / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012008:Recurrence; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000187:drug effects; D014822:Vitreous Body
D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D000068258:Bevacizumab