title: Combination therapy with focal laser photocoagulation and intravitreal ranibizumab for polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy: a case series.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The study aim is to describe the clinical outcomes of patients with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) treated with focal argon laser photocoagulation and ranibizumab combination therapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study is a retrospective case series of 6 patients (6 eyes) diagnosed with PCV who received combination therapy with argon laser photocoagulation and ranibizumab and have at least 12 months follow-up. Argon laser photocoagulation was applied directly to the polypoidal lesions as identified on indocyanine green angiography and followed by a course of intravitreal ranibizumab injections. The primary outcome measures were the mean change in logMAR visual acuity and the mean change in central macular thickness (CMT) at final follow-up.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean (SD) duration of follow-up was 1.09 (0.22) years. At the final follow-up the difference (95% confidence interval [CI]) in logMAR acuity was 0.48 (0.10-0.74) (p=0.01) and the difference (95% CI) in CMT was 207 µm (35-490) (p=0.02) on optical coherence tomography. The mean (SD) number of ranibizumab injections per eye was 4.83 (3.6). The mean (SD) number of laser treatments per eye was 1.16 (0.4).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this study, combination therapy with focal argon laser photocoagulation and intravitreal ranibizumab resulted in improved visual acuity and clinical outcomes for patients with PCV for up to 1 year.
authors.affiliation: Whipps Cross University Hospital, London - UK.
authors.forename: Danny
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mitry
authors.forename: Sudeshna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Patra
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D020256:Choroidal Neovascularization / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D058449:Intravitreal Injections; D017075:Laser Coagulation; D054020:Lasers, Gas / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011127:Polyps / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D000069579:Ranibizumab / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; C467484:VEGFA protein, human; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D000069579:Ranibizumab