title: Fluctuations in Pigment Epithelial Detachment and Retinal Fluid Using a Bimonthly Treatment Regimen with Aflibercept for Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the effect of a bimonthly treatment regimen with intravitreal aflibercept on retinal fluid and pigment epithelial detachment (PED) in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-six treatment-naive eyes of 26 patients with choroidal neovascularisation secondary to AMD were included. The patients received three initial monthly (mean 30 days) intravitreal injections of aflibercept followed by a bimonthly (mean 62 days) fixed regimen for a total of 1 year. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) measurements were recorded at monthly intervals. In addition, the presence of intraretinal fluid (IRF) or subretinal fluid (SRF) or a combination of both as well as serous and fibrovascular PEDs were assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean patient age was 80 years (range 54-93). There were 14 male and 12 female patients. The mean gain in BCVA at 1 year was 9.3 letters (SEM ±3) with a mean reduction of the central retinal thickness of 154 µm (SEM ±50). After 3 monthly injections of aflibercept, there was resolution of IRF and SRF in 80% of the treated eyes; the amount of fluid increased at months 4, 6 and 8 with troughs in between. Whereas fibrovascular PEDs remained stable after the loading phase, serous PEDs displayed a seesaw pattern. Patients without retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) atrophy at the end of the 1-year period had significantly better BCVA compared to patients with RPE atrophy (p = 0.03).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite significant overall BCVA gain, bimonthly intervals seem insufficient to maintain the morphological improvements after the initial loading dose with intravitreal aflibercept.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Martin Sebastian
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Zinkernagel
authors.forename: Sebastian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wolf
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ebneter
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D058449:Intravitreal Injections; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D040262:Receptors, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012163:Retinal Detachment / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D055213:Retinal Pigment Epithelium / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D058471:Subretinal Fluid / Q000502:physiology*; D062606:Tertiary Care Centers; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology; D057135:Wet Macular Degeneration / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; C467484:VEGFA protein, human; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; C533178:aflibercept; D040262:Receptors, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor