Abstract
Purpose: :
To assess the effect of Bevacizumab (Avastin®), a vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitor on the retinal function by full-field electroretinogram (ERG) in patients with choroidal neovascular Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD).
Methods: :
Masked, controlled study, included 12 patients with choroidal neovascular AMD, mean age 72 ± 11.5 years, (5 men and 7 women) . The patients were injected with bevacizumab 1.25 mg/0.05 ml (Genentech, San Francisco, CA) unilaterally into the vitreous cavity as part of the standard management. Prior to bevacizumab injection and one month post-injection, full-field ERG (ISCEV; LKC Technologies, Gaithersburg, MD) scans were obtained from both eyes of each patient while the other eye was used as a control group. Scotopic responses were recorded under four incremental light intensities stimuli (0.099 cd-s/m2, 2.44 cd-s/m2, 23.5 cd-s/m2 and 252 cd-s/m2). The photopic responses were evoked by two incremental light intensities (2.44 cd-s/m2 and 7.8 cd-s/m2). The differences before and after treatment for the waves amplitude were calculated and the data were analyzed using repeated measure ANOVA model.
Results: :
The average differences for the incremental light intestacies of the scotopic a-wave amplitude in the injected eyes was 15.92 microvolt, compare to 1.33 microvolt in the controlled eyes (P=0.057, ANOVA). The average differences of the photopic a-wave amplitude were 4.97 microvolt in the injected eye and -1.06 microvolt in the control eyes (P=0.01, ANOVA). The average differences of the scotopic b-wave amplitude in the injected and controlled eyes were 13.56 microvolt and 4.11 microvolt respectively (P=0.23, ANOVA). The average differences for the photopic b-wave amplitude in the injected eyes was 5.07 microvolt and -2.70 microvolt in the controlled eyes (P=0.048, ANOVA).
Conclusions: :
Intravitreal injection of bevacizumab improved rods and cones function in neovascular AMD patients. No significant measurable photoreceptor toxicity was observed by the ERG tests.
Clinical Trial: :
www.clinicaltrials.gov NCT00478530
Keywords: age-related macular degeneration • clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: treatment/prevention assessment/controlled clinical trials • electroretinography: clinical