Abstract
Purpose :
To compare on optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) images the long-term quantative follow up of choroidal neovascularization (CNV) after antivascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapy in eyes with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) undergoing pro re nata(PRN) or treat and extend (T&E) treatment regimens.
Methods :
Consecutive patients with neovascular AMD underwent multimodal imaging, including OCTA (AngioPlex, CIRRUS HD-OCT model 5000; Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc., Dublin, OH) at baseline and at each follow-up visits. Previously treated AMD patients undergoing PRN regiment were included in group A, while treated patients undergoing T&E regimen were included in group B. Quantitative OCTA analysis were performed on outer retina to choriocapillaris (ORCC) slab. CNV total area and vascular density (VD) were measured within the two groups using a free image analysis software (ImageJ, open-source imaging processing software, 2.0.0).
Results :
Thirty eyes of 30 patients (mean age 78.32) were enrolled in our study: 15 eyes undergoing PRN treatment regimen in group A and 15 eyes undergoing T&E regimen in group B. Mean follow up was 24.39 +/- 3.82 months for Group A and 21.47 +/- 4.51 months for Group B. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of baseline and last follow up best corrected visual acuity.
Total CNV area increased by 27% in the PRN cohort (p=0.193), while in the T&E cohort area only increased by 7% at last follow up (p=0.43). In the T&E cohort a statistically significant decrease of VD was noted at last follow up (3.63%, p=0.049).
Conclusions :
CNV secondary to neovascular AMD under anti-VEGF therapy undergoing a T&E treatment regimen showed a significant decrease in VD than the ones undergoing a PRN treatment regimen on long-term follow up.
This abstract was presented at the 2019 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Vancouver, Canada, April 28 - May 2, 2019.