Abstract
Purpose::
To investigate the effect of intravitreal pegaptanib-enhanced bevacizumab therapy for CNV due to age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Methods::
43 eyes of 43 patients suffering from CNV due to AMD have been treated with a combination of intravitreal bevacizumab and pegaptanib. All lesion types (from 0-100% classic) were included in this case series. Mean lesion size at baseline was 3100 µm. Patients attended follow-up visits every 6 weeks, undergoing VA and intraocular pressure measurement, slit-lamp and ophthalmoscopic examination, and optical coherence tomography (OCT). Fluorescein angiography was performed every 3 months or earlier if OCT showed significant edema.
Results::
All patients have been treated by one bevacizumab injection, followed by an injection of pegaptanib. Only 68.1% of the patients with remaining CNV activity needed a retreatment with intravitreal bevacizumab. After a mean follow-up of 28 weeks (up to 44 weeks) 51.2% of the patients gained one or more lines of vision, 30.2% of the patients had stable vision, and 18,6% lost one or more lines. Mean decrease of retinal thickness was 158µm (P<0.01). No adverse events have been observed.
Conclusions::
The pegaptanib-enhanced bevacizumab therapy for CNV due to AMD is well tolerated and has a promising functional and morphological outcome. In addition, the combination of these two intravitreal anti-VEGF drugs may reduce the numbers of re-treatments required.
Keywords: age-related macular degeneration • choroid: neovascularization • injection