title: Variability of disease activity in patients treated with ranibizumab for neovascular age-related macular degeneration.
abstract: PurposeTo analyze choroidal neovasularization (CNV) activity and recurrence patterns in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) treated with ranibizumab, and the correlation with individual intraocular vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) suppression time (VST).MethodsPost-hoc analysis of data from a prospective, non-randomized clinical study. Patients with nAMD treated with ranibizumab on a pro re nata regimen. Disease activity was analyzed monthly by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography and correlated with VSTs.ResultsOverall, 73 eyes of 73 patients were included in the study with a mean follow-up of 717 days (range: 412-1239 days). Overall, the mean CNV-activity-free interval was 76.5 days (range: 0-829 days). The individual range of the length of dry intervals was high. A total of 42% of patients had a range of more than 90 days. Overall, 16% of patients showed persistent activity. And 12% stayed dry after the initial ranibizumab treatment. No significant correlation was found between the CNV-recurrence pattern and VST (P=0.12).ConclusionsCNV activity in nAMD is irregular, which is reflected in the range of the duration of dry intervals and late recurrences. The biomarker VST solely seems not to be sufficient to explain recurrence pattern of CNV in all AMD patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Enders
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Scholz
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: P S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Muether
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fauser
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D020256:Choroidal Neovascularization / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D058449:Intravitreal Injections; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D000069579:Ranibizumab / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D014792:Visual Acuity; D057135:Wet Macular Degeneration / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy
chemical_list: D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; C467484:VEGFA protein, human; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D000069579:Ranibizumab