title: Six-month results of intravitreal aflibercept injections for patients with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study aims to evaluate the therapeutic effect of intravitreal aflibercept injection for polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV).
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighteen eyes of 17 consecutive patients with PCV received three consecutive monthly intravitreal injections of aflibercept and one additional injection 2 months later (four injections totally). All patients underwent eye examinations, which included best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), fluorescein angiography, indocyanine green angiography, and optical coherence tomography. The primary endpoint of the study was the regression of polypoidal lesions. The secondary endpoints were BCVA, central retinal thickness (CRT) and changes in retinal exudation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Six months after the first aflibercept injection, the polypoidal lesions were completely resolved in 14 eyes (77.7%) and partially resolved in 4 eyes (22.2%). Although branching choroidal vascular networks were still present in all eyes, retinal exudative changes had completely resolved in 17 eyes (94.4%), and the mean CRT decreased significantly from 407.2±100.1 µm to 229.1±57.2 µm (p<0.0001). BCVA (logarithm of the minimal angle of resolution, logMAR) improved significantly from 0.414±0.384 at baseline to 0.297±0.334 after 6 months (p=0.016).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  At 6 months, aflibercept monotherapy effectively reduced polyps, retinal exudation and CRT in patients with PCV.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, Japan.
authors.forename: Mio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hosokawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, Japan.
authors.forename: Fumio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Shiraga
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Kagawa University Faculty of Medicine, Kagawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Ayana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yamashita
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Kagawa University Faculty of Medicine, Kagawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Chieko
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Shiragami
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Kagawa University Faculty of Medicine, Kagawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Aoi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ono
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Kagawa University Faculty of Medicine, Kagawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Yukari
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shirakata
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, Japan.
authors.forename: Shuhei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kimura
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, Japan.
authors.forename: Yusuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shiode
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, Japan.
authors.forename: Tetsuhiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kawata
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, Japan.
authors.forename: Mika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hosogi
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, Japan.
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fujiwara
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Morizane
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D020256:Choroidal Neovascularization / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004396:Coloring Agents; D005260:Female; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D006801:Humans; D007208:Indocyanine Green; D058449:Intravitreal Injections; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011127:Polyps / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D040262:Receptors, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D058471:Subretinal Fluid; D013997:Time Factors; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; D004396:Coloring Agents; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; C467484:VEGFA protein, human; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; C533178:aflibercept; D040262:Receptors, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor; D007208:Indocyanine Green
keywords: Macula; Retina