title: Intravitreal bevacizumab for retinal capillary hemangioblastoma: A case series and literature review.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the long-term outcomes of intravitreal bevacizumab for peripheral and juxtapapillary retinal capillary hemangioblastoma (RCH).
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a retrospective noncomparative interventional case series.
  
  
  METHODS
  There were 4 patients (5 eyes) presenting with RCH.
  
  
  METHODS
  Five eyes with RCH presented with exudative changes and visual loss. Three eyes of 2 patients with peripheral RCH were treated with cryotherapy and 2 intravitreal injections of bevacizumab (0.5 mg). Two eyes with juxtapapillary RCH were treated with 3 intravitreal injections of bevacizumab. The main outcome measures were changes in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), lesion size, exudation, and retinal thickness.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In peripheral RCH, improvement of BCVA from counting fingers to 20/400 was obtained in 1 eye. One patient with bilateral RCH maintained a vision of 20/20 in 1 eye with complete anatomic regression of the 3 small peripheral RCH lesions. The fellow eye with fibrotic bands from the RCH to the optic nerve head developed a tractional retinal detachment after the first injection and was treated with pars plana vitrectomy. In patients with juxtapapillary RCH, bevacizumab injections resulted in an improvement of BCVA from 20/80 to 20/20 in 1 eye, whereas the second eye did not show an improvement of BCVA despite a regression of the tumour.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor agents, alone or in combination with other treatment modalities, may improve visual acuity. Further trials evaluating the dose, the number of injections, and the route of administration will be important in advancing antiangiogenic therapies for RCH.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Saint Joseph University Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Beirut, Lebanon. Electronic address: slimelise@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Elise
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Slim
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Saint Joseph University Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Beirut, Lebanon.
authors.forename: Joelle
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Antoun
authors.affiliation: Department of Hemato-oncology, Saint Joseph University Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Beirut, Lebanon.
authors.forename: Hampig Raphael
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Kourie
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Saint Joseph University Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Beirut, Lebanon.
authors.forename: Alexandre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schakkal
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Beirut Eye Specialist Hospital, Beirut, Lebanon.
authors.forename: Georges
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cherfan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000068258:Bevacizumab; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D018324:Hemangioma, Capillary / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D058449:Intravitreal Injections; D008297:Male; D019572:Retinal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; 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; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; C467484:VEGFA protein, human; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D000068258:Bevacizumab