title: Focal macular electroretinograms after intravitreal injections of bevacizumab for age-related macular degeneration.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the changes in the best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), macular thickness, and focal macular electroretinograms (FMERGs) after three intravitreal injections of bevacizumab for a choroidal neovascularization (CNV) associated with age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
  
  
  METHODS
  The medical records of 18 eyes of 18 patients who had received three consecutive monthly intravitreal injections of bevacizumab were retrospectively studied. The BCVA, macular thickness determined by optical coherence tomography (OCT), and FMERGs were measured before the first injection, and 10 days after each of the intravitreal bevacizumab injections.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The number of eyes with improvement in BCVA after the first injection was one (6%), after the second injection was four (22%), and after the third injection was five (28%). The number of eyes with reduction in macular thickness was 4 (33%), 8 (44%), and 10 (56%) after each of the three injections. The number of eyes with increase in b-wave amplitude of the FMERGs was 7 (38%), 6 (33%), and 10 (56%) after each of the three each injections. The mean macular thickness was significantly thinner after the first injection, and the mean BCVA was significantly improved after the second injection. The mean amplitude and implicit time of the b-wave of the FMERGs were significantly improved only after the third injection (P<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  All parameters improved but the best was after the third injection, indicating that three monthly intravitreous injections with bevacizumab may be an effective treatment regimen for AMD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan.
authors.forename: Eiji
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Iwata
authors.forename: Shinji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ueno
authors.forename: Kohei
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
authors.forename: Yasuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: Ruka
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Uetani
authors.forename: Chang-Hua
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Piao
authors.forename: Mineo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kondo
authors.forename: Hiroko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Terasaki
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000068258:Bevacizumab; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004596:Electroretinography / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D058449:Intravitreal Injections; D008266:Macula Lutea / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A
chemical_list: D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D000068258:Bevacizumab