Abstract
Purpose: :
To report 18-months results of intravitreal bevacizumab injection (IVB) for choroidal neovascularization (CNV) associated with pathological myopia.
Methods: :
This retrospective interventional case series was conducted at Eye Clinic of Florence. Charts were reviewed of all patients who received 1.25 mg IVB for active CNV secondary to pathological myopia from January 2006 to September 2009. Changes in visual acuity, number of intravitreal injections and previous photodynamic therapy (PDT) were analyzed. The best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), measured by the ETDRS charts, was converted to logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (LogMAR) for the data interpretation.
Results: :
Fifty-five eyes of 53 patients were included. Mean follow-up was 18 months. Mean visual acuity was 0.65 logMAR at baseline and improved by -0.11 to -0.14 logMAR during follow-up (p<0.05 for each time interval vs baseline). The linear trend of mean visual acuity during follow-up was stable (-0.08 logMAR per year, p=0.07). However, when time was allowed to be a random slope in the mixed model, a variability of +/- 0.3 logMAR at 1 year was found (i.e. 95% of patients were estimated to be within 3 lines from baseline visual acuity). Mean of PDT treatments for each patients was 3.2. Mean of IVB for each patient was 6.6. The number of PDT prior to IVB could not be shown to influence vision change during follow-up (p=0.73). Also the rate of injections in monthly periods (first trimester) or every three months (afterwards) could not be shown to be associated to vision change during follow-up (p=0.09).
Conclusions: :
In our case series intravitreal bevacizumab injections appeared to stabilize visual acuity during a follow-up of 18 months.
Keywords: choroid: neovascularization • myopia • retina