Prediction of long-term visual outcome in patients with macular edema due to branch retinal vein occlusion based on short-term response to anti-VEGF therapy.

Abstract

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to examine short-term parameters after anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy that could predict prognosis of visual acuity in patients with macular edema due to branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO-ME).

Methods : In this retrospective study, twenty-two eyes of twenty-two patients (n=22) were included. We assessed logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central macular thickness (CMT) from baseline to 12 months after anti-VEGF therrapy. Based on changes of logMAR BCVA from baseline to 1 month after the therapy, we divided these patients into VA improved group (VIG: changes of logMAR BCVA≦-0.2, n=13) and VA stable group (VSG: changes of logMAR BCVA>-0.2, n=9). Similarly, based on CMT of 1 month after the therapy, we separated into CMT improved group (CIG : CMT<300µm, n=16) and CMT stable group (CSG:CMT≧300µm, n=16).

Results : There were no significant differences in baseeline logMAR BCVA and CMT between the two groups in both classifications. The mean change of logMAR BCVA from baseline to 12 months after the therapy was significantly lager in VIG than in VSG (-0.33 and -0.09, respectively: p<0.001). In contrast, there was no significant difference between CIG and CSG. There was significant correlation between change of BCVA from baseline to 1 month after the therapy and that from baseline to 12 months after the therapy (R^2=0.34, p<0.005) and between change of CMT from baseline to 1 month after the therapy and that from baseline to 12 months after the therapy (R^2=0.74, p<0.0001). Wilcoxon rank sum test was performed to examine the significances of logMAR BCVA and CMT in the two classifications, and Spearman rank correlation coefficient was used to examine correlations of change of BCVA and CMT between baseline to 1 month and to 12 months after the therapy.

Conclusions : These results indicate that the changes in logMAR BCVA from baseline to 1 month can predict the visual outcome at 12 months in the patients with BRVO-ME.

This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2017 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Baltimore, MD, May 7-11, 2017.