title: High Dose Intravitreal Bevacizumab for Refractory Pigment Epithelial Detachment in Age-related Macular Degeneration.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) is the first choice of treatment for age-related macular degeneration. However, quite a few eyes treated using conventional dose anti-VEGF (CDAV) have persistent pigment epithelial detachment (PED) on optical coherence tomography. This study investigated the efficacy and safety of high dose anti-VEGF (HDAV) for refractory PED.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this retrospective study, 31 eyes of neovascular age-related macular degeneration patients with persistent PED findings despite six or more intravitreal injections of CDAV (bevacizumab 1.25 mg or ranibizumab 2.5 mg) were analyzed. Changes in visual outcome, central foveal thickness, and PED height were compared before and after HDAV (bevacizumab 5.0 mg) for these refractory PED cases.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age of patients was 67.7 years. The number of CDAV injections was 12.1. The number of HDAV injections was 3.39. Best-corrected visual acuity in logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution before and after HDAV was 0.49 and 0.41 (p < 0.001), respectively. Central foveal thickness before and after HDAV was 330.06 and 311.10 µm (p = 0.125), respectively. PED height before and after HDAV was 230.28 and 204.07 µm (p = 0.014), respectively. There were no serious adverse reactions in all the eyes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Increasing the dose of bevacizumab in refractory PED may be a possible treatment option.
authors.affiliation: Retina Center, Nune Eye Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Dong Kyu
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Retina Center, Nune Eye Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Soon Hyun
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Retina Center, Nune Eye Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Yong Sung
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: You
authors.affiliation: Retina Center, Nune Eye Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Oh Woong
authors.initials: OW
authors.lastname: Kwon
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000068258:Bevacizumab / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D005654:Fundus Oculi; D006801:Humans; D058449:Intravitreal Injections; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012163:Retinal Detachment / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D055213:Retinal Pigment Epithelium / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000187:drug effects; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors
chemical_list: D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D000068258:Bevacizumab
keywords: Age-related macular degeneration; Bevacizumab; Retinal pigment epithelial detachment; Vascular endothelial growth factor therapy