title: Clinical monitoring of patients with age-related macular degeneration treated with intravitreal bevacizumab or ranibizumab.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) require frequent follow-up and regular anti-VEGF injections for optimal outcomes. Although studies suggest that injection frequency is suboptimal in clinical practice, monitoring frequency in this setting is unclear. This study evaluates annual monitoring patterns between 2008 and 2011.
  
  
  METHODS
  This retrospective claims analysis included newly diagnosed neovascular AMD patients with at least one intravitreal bevacizumab or ranibizumab injection (8,811 and 2,877 patients, respectively). Patient monitoring and treatment patterns were assessed at 12-month intervals.
  
  
  RESULTS
  From 2008 to 2010, the mean number of injections increased. In the 2010 cohort, among bevacizumab- and ranibizumab-treated patients, respectively, less than 23% and less than 40% had at least 10 ophthalmologist visits, and less than 4% and less than 21% had at least 10 optical coherence tomography scans.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with neovascular AMD in clinical settings during 2008 to 2011 were monitored less frequently and received fewer anti-VEGF injections than patients in major clinical trials, which may affect outcomes.
authors.forename: Szilárd
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kiss
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Nancy M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Holekamp
authors.forename: Arghavan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Almony
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.forename: Jonathan W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Kowalski
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000068258:Bevacizumab; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D058449:Intravitreal Injections; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D000069579:Ranibizumab; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D000068258:Bevacizumab; D000069579:Ranibizumab