Treatment of polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy by intravitreal injection of bevacizumab.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the efficacy of intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) in eyes with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV).


METHODS
Seventeen eyes of 16 patients with either subfoveal or juxtafoveal PCV were treated with IVB. As the initial treatment, ten eyes were treated with a single injection of bevacizumab and seven were treated with three monthly injections. Additional IVB injections were performed in 15 eyes when either a recurrent or residual exudative change was seen. Follow-up after initiation of IVB ranged from 12 to 30 months (mean, 20.7 +/- 5.7 months).


RESULTS
The mean foveal thickness before IVB (492 +/- 205 microm) decreased to 384 +/- 181 microm at 3 months (P = 0.0008), and with additional IVB for recurrent exudative changes, the foveal thickness remained significantly reduced at 12 months (392 +/- 203 microm, P = 0.0270). Mean visual acuity at baseline (0.54 +/- 0.38 in logMAR) somewhat improved to 0.45 +/- 0.32 at 3 months (P = 0.156). However, the improvement in visual acuity then subsided, and returned to the pretreatment value at 12 months (0.54 +/- 0.39).


CONCLUSIONS
In eyes with PCV, IVB can reduce the exudative change and can maintain visual function for at least 1 year.
Tsujikawa
Akitaka
A
Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan. tujikawa@kuhp.kyoto-u.ac.jp
Ooto
Sotaro
S
Yamashiro
Kenji
K
Tamura
Hiroshi
H
Otani
Atsushi
A
Yoshimura
Nagahisa
N
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; D002829:Choroid / Q000098:blood supply*; D015862:Choroid Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007267:Injections; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016491:Peripheral Vascular Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D019233:Retreatment; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology; D014822:Vitreous Body
D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; C467484:VEGFA protein, human; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D000068258:Bevacizumab