Abstract
Purpose: :
A phase 2 study evaluating the use of pegaptanib every 6 weeks in the treatment of DME showed improved visual acuity (VA) and a reduction in central retinal thickness, and lessened the need for additional laser photocoagulation compared with sham treatment. This case series presents the efficacy and safety of the use of intravitreal pegaptanib in the treatment for DME in a clinical setting.
Methods: :
Retrospective analysis of consecutive patients with diabetic macular edema and/or proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) presenting to two retina practices and who were treated with intravitreal injections of 0.3 mg pegaptanib sodium every 6 weeks. Only patients with at least a 4.5-month follow-up were included in this analysis. Assessments included complete ocular examination, Snellen visual acuity (converted to logMAR for analyses) and optical coherence tomography.
Results: :
To date, 26 eyes, of 26 patients ages 53-80 years, with DME received a mean of 3.9±1.6.intravitreal injections of pegaptanib over a course of 8.6±3.9 months (range: 4.5-18); 3 eyes also showed evidence of PDR. In all, 9/26 eyes had ≥ 3-line gain, and 25/26 had ≥ 0-line gain. Mean VA at baseline of 0.79±0.35 (~20/125) improved to 0.52±0.34 (~20/60) at last assessment. Mean center point thickness decreased from 383±137 µm to 287±134 µm. No adjunctive therapy was given during pegaptanib treatment in 25/26 eyes; one eye received one bevacizumab injection.
Keywords: diabetic retinopathy • edema • visual acuity