title: One-year outcome of two different initial dosing regimens of intravitreal ranibizumab for myopic choroidal neovascularization.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate and compare the 12-month outcomes of two different initial dosing regimens of intravitreal ranibizumab for myopic choroidal neovascularization (CNV).
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 46 consecutive, treatment-naive eyes which received intravitreal ranibizumab for subfoveal and juxtafoveal CNV secondary to pathologic myopia with a follow-up of 12 months. Two groups were created according to different initial dosing regimens: group 1 included 25 eyes treated by a single intravitreal injection; group 2 included 21 eyes treated by three consecutive monthly injections. Additional injections were performed if needed. Patients' demographic data, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), recurrence of CNV and total number of treatments were recorded and evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was no significant difference between two groups among baseline demographic data. At 12 months, the mean logMAR BCVA improved from 0.58 to 0.23 in group 1 and from 0.55 to 0.22 in group 2 (both p < 0.001; Wilcoxon signed-rank test). The mean logMAR BCVA at 12 months did not differ significantly. The average number of injections was 2.32 (SD 1.22) in group 1 and 3.57 (SD 1.12) in group 2 (p = 0.001; two-tailed t-test). During the follow-up, 17 of 25 eyes in group 1 and 5 of 21 eyes in group 2 received additional injections (p = 0.004).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Similar visual improvement was achieved in both groups. Although the eyes with a loading dose of 3 monthly injections required a higher number of total injections over 1 year, there was a much lower rate of retreatment needed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ya-Hsin
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Kung
authors.forename: Tsung-Tien
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Ya-Hui
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D020256:Choroidal Neovascularization / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D058449:Intravitreal Injections; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D047728:Myopia, Degenerative / Q000150:complications*; D000069579:Ranibizumab; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; C467484:VEGFA protein, human; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D000069579:Ranibizumab
keywords: choroidal neovascularization; lucentis; myopia; ranibizumab; vascular endothelial growth factor