Abstract
Purpose: :
To assess the safety and efficacy of pegaptanib as maintenance therapy in NV-AMD patients with no fluid in the retina following recent treatment (induction).
Methods: :
A retrospective chart review of 112 consecutive cases of subfoveal NV-AMD that were treated with pegaptanib as maintenance therapy after an intensive induction phase with nonselective VEGF therapy until the retina was free of fluid. Eligible subjects had lesions of any angiographic subtype. Intravitreal pegaptanib 0.3mg was administered every 6 weeks with booster treatments at investigator’s discretion for worsening NV-AMD.
Results: :
Seventy seven eyes had ≥6 months of follow-up (mean baseline visual acuity [VA], 20/160; mean number of induction injections, 3.5). Post-induction, mean VA was 20/125 and it remained stable at 20/125 after an average of 9.9 months of pegaptanib maintenance; boosters were administered to 14% of patients. Fifty two eyes had ≥9 months of follow-up (mean baseline VA, 20/160; mean number of induction injections, 3.2). Post-induction, mean VA was 20/125 and was 20/100 after an average of 11.2 months of pegaptanib maintenance; boosters were administered to 17% of patients.
Conclusions: :
After intensive induction treatment patients showed visual stability during pegaptanib maintenance with limited use of booster treatments. Sequentially combining non-selective and selective VEGF inhibitors may be a valuable therapeutic option especially for patients with high risk for cardiovascular events.
Keywords: age-related macular degeneration • choroid: neovascularization • retina