Abstract
Purpose:
To evaluate the occurrance of retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) atrophy in patients with treatment-naive choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in age-related macular degeneration undergoing anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy (anti-VEGF) comparing treated and fellow eye.
Methods:
56 patients with naïve CNV (occult-type 1, classic-type 2 and RAP-type 3) receiving anti-VEGF therapy were retrospectively evaluated for a 3-years period. Areas of RPE atrophy were identified by different readers using infrared reflectance, fundus autofluorescence (wavelength 488 nm) imaging and spectral domain optical coherence tomography. Measures of atrophy was performed by a semiautomated software (Region Finder, Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany). Atrophy was measured in treated and fellow, unaffected eye.
Results:
Of 56 patients (112 eyes), 40 were treated with anti-VEGF for unilateral CNV (group 1) and 16 for bilateral CNV (group 2). Precisely 72 of 112 eyes received anti-VEGF treatment.<br /> Within the group 1, atrophy occurred: in the treated eye in 11 patients (27,5%), in the fellow eye in 5 patients (12,5%), in both eyes in 4 patients (10%). No atrophy was developed in 20 (50%).<br /> Within the group 2, atrophy occurred in 9 patients (56%) meanwhile no atrophy was developed in 7 (44%). Considering the total number of anti-VEGF injected eyes, 36% developed atrophy and 64% did not.
Conclusions:
The study showed no considerable differences between anti-VEGF treated and unaffected fellow eyes in the growth of RPE atrophy.