title: Two-year results of intravitreal ranibizumab for polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy with recurrent or residual exudation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To clarify the 2-year efficacy of ranibizumab for patients with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) with recurrent or residual exudation from branching vascular networks after previous photodynamic therapy (PDT).
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively reviewed 26 eyes of 26 Japanese patients (22 men, 4 women) in this pilot study. All eyes had PCV with complete regression of polypoidal lesions resulting from PDT detected by indocyanine green angiography (ICGA), but recurrent or residual leakage from branching vascular networks on fluorescein angiography and evidence of persistent fluid on optical coherence tomography (OCT). Three consecutive intravitreal injections of ranibizumab (0.5 mg/0.05 ml) were administered to all eyes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) improved significantly from 0.55 at baseline to 0.35 at 12 months (P<0.0001) and 0.43 at 24 months (P=0.0012). The mean increases in the BCVA 12 and 24 months after baseline were 1.95 and 1.23 lines, respectively. The mean central retinal thickness significantly decreased from 295 μm at baseline to 189 μm at 12 months (P<0.0038) and 163 μm at 24 months (P<0.001). The mean numbers of intravitreal ranibizumab (IVR) injections at months 12 and 24, including the initial treatments, were 5.8 and 8.8, respectively. Five (19.2%) eyes had recurrent polypoidal lesions on ICGA at a mean of 15.7 months after baseline. At month 24, OCT showed no exudation in 17 (65.4%) of the 26 eyes. No adverse events developed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  IVR injections maintained or improved the VA and retinal thickness at 24 months in eyes with PCV with recurrent or residual exudation from branching vascular networks after previous PDT.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan. smasaaki@fmu.ac.jp
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Iida
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kano
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Itagaki
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002829:Choroid / Q000098:blood supply*; D015862:Choroid Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005122:Exudates and Transudates; D005260:Female; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D006801:Humans; D007208:Indocyanine Green; D058449:Intravitreal Injections; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D000069579:Ranibizumab; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D007208:Indocyanine Green; D000069579:Ranibizumab