Abstract
Purpose:
To describe the efficacy of therapy with ranibizumab (IVR) using as-needed dosing strategy or PRN after a single or 3 consecutive monthly injections of ranibizumab in patients with neovascular AMD.
Methods:
We conducted a retrospective analysis of 40 eyes of 38 consecutive patients (mean age 76,5 years) with exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD) treated for the first time by ranibizumab injection. On the basis of treatment, we identified two groups: 20 eyes were treated with a single IVR+ PRN, and 20 eyes with 3 IVR + PRN. All patients underwent a complete ophthalmological examination including Snellen visual acuity (VA) testing, fluorescein and indocyanine green retinal angiography and optical coherence tomography (OCT) at the visit baseline and during follow-up. Patients were followed for a maximum follow-up of 4 years.
Results:
At the end of follow-up, in the eyes treated with 3 IVR+ PRN, the 94,7% showed an improvement in BCVA, and the 10,5% demonstrated worsening in BCVA, in comparison to the baseline values; while in the eyes treated with a single IVR + PRN, the 57,8% showed improvement in BCVA, the 21% demonstrated stable of BCVA, 26,3% revealed a worsening in BCVA, in comparison to the baseline values. The mean number of injections in the group treated with 3 IVR+PRN was 6,1± 1,2, while in the second group treated with 1 IVR+PRN was 4,7± 2,1, at the end of follow up.
Conclusions:
Our results suggest that PRN treatment regimen may represent an effective strategy of treatment, preserving a significant visual improvement over time in patients with CNV secondary to AMD.
Keywords: 412 age-related macular degeneration •
453 choroid: neovascularization •
688 retina