Intravitreal bevacizumab for the treatment of refractory diabetic macular edema.
OBJECTIVE
To report the effect of intravitreal bevacizumab on visual acuity and central retinal thickness (CRT) in refractory diabetic macular edema.


METHODS
Records of 60 eyes of 54 consecutive patients who underwent intravitreal bevacizumab therapy for refractory diabetic macular edema were reviewed. All eyes received intravitreal bevacizumab 1.25 mg/0.05 mL, and 36 eyes underwent pretreatment and post-treatment optical coherence tomography. Mean follow-up was 7.4 months.


RESULTS
Pretreatment mean visual acuity plus or minus standard deviation was 0.71 +/- 0.28 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (LogMAR) Snellen letters. At final follow-up, mean visual acuity had improved to 0.66 +/- 0.30 LogMAR (P = .0543). Mean baseline CRT was 440 +/- 106 microm, and follow-up mean CRT was 386 +/- 129 microm (P = .008). Vitrectomized eyes had worse visual acuity and CRT outcomes (P = .002 and P = .028, respectively) compared with nonvitrectomized eyes.


CONCLUSIONS
Intravitreal bevacizumab may provide a functional and anatomic benefit in eyes with persistent diabetic macular edema despite previous treatments.
Mehta
Sachin
S
Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
Blinder
Kevin J
KJ
Shah
Gaurav K
GK
Kymes
S M
SM
Schlief
Shelley L
SL
Grand
M Gilbert
MG
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D000068258:Bevacizumab; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007267:Injections; D008269:Macular Edema / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014792:Visual Acuity; D014822:Vitreous Body
D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D000068258:Bevacizumab