Abstract
Purpose: :
To evaluate the effect of systemic bevacizumab (Avastin©) on pigment epithelial detachment (PED) secondary to neovascular age–related macular degeneration (AMD).
Methods: :
10 patients (12 eyes) with a PED in neovascular AMD were treated with 3 systemic bevacizumab infusions at 2 week intervals. Optical coherence tomography (Stratus OCT) was performed at baseline and at week 1, 2, 4 and 6 weeks. In 2 OCT scans assessed in an angle of at least 90° maximum height and maximum diameter of each PED lesion were planimetrically evaluated using Adobe Photoshop 8.0.1©.
Results: :
Systemic bevacizumab therapy decreased mean maximum lesion height by 30% (day0: 0.046mm ± 0.012, week6: 0.032mm ± 0.13, p<0.01; mean relative decrease after 6 weeks:
–0.014mm). These changes already reached statistical significance after 1 week (pheight=0.04). There was no statistically significant decrease in mean maximum diameter (day0: 0.275mm ± 0.046, week6: 0.268mm ± 0.065; mean relative decrease after 6 weeks: –0.007mm).
Conclusions: :
Systemic bevacizumab shows promising effects on PED in patients with neovascular AMD. PED flatten early after treatment and remain dry. Appropriate diagnostic tools are necessary for imaging of PED changes.
Keywords: age-related macular degeneration • lesion study • imaging/image analysis: clinical