title: Intravitreal Aflibercept and Ranibizumab Injections for Polypoidal Choroidal Vasculopathy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the effectiveness of intravitreal injection of aflibercept and ranibizumab for patients with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV).
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective, interventional case series.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ninety-eight treatment-naïve PCV eyes were included. The eyes had received intravitreal aflibercept or ranibizumab injections. All patients were treated using an initial series of 3 monthly loading injections, followed by further injections as required. The visual and anatomic outcomes of treatment were evaluated after 12 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) in the aflibercept-treated group (38 eyes), expressed as the logarithm of the minimal angle of resolution (logMAR), had decreased from 0.63 ± 0.49 to 0.44 ± 0.37 after 12 months of treatment (P = .012). Similarly, in the ranibizumab-treated group (60 eyes), the BCVA had decreased from 0.66 ± 0.43 to 0.49 ± 0.36 (P = .018). The central foveal thickness had decreased in the aflibercept-treated group from 396 ± 167 μm to 212 ± 144 μm, and in the ranibizumab-treated group from 402 ± 198 μm to 240 ± 183 μm (P < .001 in both cases). However, there was no significant difference between the groups with regard to either BCVA improvement or decrease in central foveal thickness. Polyp regression was significantly more frequent in the aflibercept-treated group, occurring in 39.5% of eyes, than in the ranibizumab-treated group (21.6% of eyes; P = .007).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In PCV patients, the visual acuity improvement achieved after 12 months of intravitreal aflibercept did not differ significantly from that achieved using intravitreal ranibizumab. However, aflibercept treatment more often led to polyp regression than did treatment using ranibizumab.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Kim's Eye Hospital, Myung-Gok Eye Research Institute, Konyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea. Electronic address: chojoo@kimeye.com.
authors.forename: Han Joo
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Kim's Eye Hospital, Myung-Gok Eye Research Institute, Konyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Kyoung Min
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Kim's Eye Hospital, Myung-Gok Eye Research Institute, Konyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Hyoung Seok
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Kim's Eye Hospital, Myung-Gok Eye Research Institute, Konyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Jung Il
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Kim's Eye Hospital, Myung-Gok Eye Research Institute, Konyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Chul Gu
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Kim's Eye Hospital, Myung-Gok Eye Research Institute, Konyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Tae Gon
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Kim's Eye Hospital, Myung-Gok Eye Research Institute, Konyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Jong Woo
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D020256:Choroidal Neovascularization / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004396:Coloring Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D006801:Humans; D007208:Indocyanine Green / Q000008:administration & dosage; D058449:Intravitreal Injections; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011127:Polyps / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000069579:Ranibizumab / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D040262:Receptors, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000627:therapeutic use*; 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; 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; D000069579:Ranibizumab