Visual Outcomes after Anti-VEGF Therapy for Exudative Age-Related Macular Degeneration in a Real-Life Setting

2021 ◽  
Vol 238 (04) ◽  
pp. 396-402
Author(s):  
Andrea R. Wenkstern ◽  
Christophe Valmaggia

Abstract Background To report visual outcomes of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapy for exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in a real-life setting. Patients and Methods Retrospective case series of consecutive patients treated with either ranibizumab and/or aflibercept for monolateral or bilateral exudative AMD. A physician established the indication for treatment and administered the injections. An independent physician confirmed the indication for primary treatment. A Pro Re Nata and a Treat and Extend regimen were used. Assessment of subretinal and/or intraretinal fluid, retinal hemorrhage and increase in pigment epithelial detachment served as criteria for further treatment decisions. Visual acuity (VA) was measured in ETDRS letters at each examination and then analyzed using a specialized software. Evolution of mean VA was considered for all study eyes and subgroups of eyes with an initial VA ≥ 70 ETDRS letters (subgroup 1) and ≤ 69 ETDRS letters (subgroup 2). Results A total of 102 eyes of 76 patients (30 men, mean age 75.9 years; 46 women, mean age 81.5 years) were included. Subgroup 1 consisted of 47 eyes, and subgroup 2 of 55 eyes. Mean follow-up was 55 months (range 6 to 150 months). For the entire collective as for subgroups 1 and 2, the mean VA was 64, 77, or 51 ETDRS letters at baseline. Mean VA improved at month 12 (68, 80, or 58 ETDRES letters) and then slowly decreased over time until month 150 (62, 72, or 54 ETDRS letters). Maximum improvement of + 5, + 3, or, + 9 ETDRS letters occurred after 9, 8, or 10 months of follow-up. Atrophy and fibrosis were mainly responsible for VA decrease. Ten serious adverse events were reported to Swissmedic: two cases of cardiovascular events and eight cases of intraocular inflammation. Conclusions Anti-VEGF therapy carried out in a real-life setting shows good VA outcomes with a favorable safety profile.

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Yanel Gayadine-Harricham ◽  
Virginie Rufin ◽  
Sandrine Law-Koune ◽  
Thi Ha Chau Tran

Introduction. The objective of the study is to report 4-year treatment outcome with intravitreal Aflibercept injections for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) as first life therapy in real-life. Patients and Methods. This is a prospective, monocenter, observational case series analysis. Data from treatment-naïve patients with nAMD with at least 4 years of follow-up were included in the analysis. Data including age, gender, and visual acuity measured on Early Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy Study charts (ETDRS) and injection numbers were recorded. Spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) data at baseline, month 3, month 6, month 12, year 2, 3, and 4 were also recorded. Patients were treated with a modified treat and extend (T&E) regimen. Results. Of the 48 eyes with nAMD treated, only 31 eyes were available at the 4-year follow-up. The mean age was 81 ± 8 years. The VA gain was 7.3 ± 12.7 letters at 1 year 6.5 ± 12.5 letters at 2 years, VA gain 5.2 ± 17 letters at 3 years, and 6.2 ± 18.6 letters at 4 years. The reduction of central retinal thickness was 118 ± 187 μm at 4 years. Complete resolution of fluid was obtained in 18/31 eyes. The total number of injections was 5.7 ± 2.0 during the first year, 2.9 ± 2.9 during the second year, 3.5 ± 3.3 during the third year, and 4.0 ± 3.4 during the fourth year. The total number of injections was 16 ± 10.6, ranging from 3 to 52 injections. Ten eyes developed macular atrophy over the 4-year period. Conclusion. The results suggest that good long-term morphological and functional outcome can be achieved using Aflibercept in clinical setting.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Catarina Pedrosa ◽  
Tiago Sousa ◽  
João Pinheiro-Costa ◽  
João Beato ◽  
Manuel S. Falcão ◽  
...  

Purpose. To evaluate the predictive factors of long-term visual outcomes in neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) treated with antivascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) agents. Methods. Unicentric retrospective review of patients with nAMD treated with anti-VEGF agents. Visual outcomes, 12 and 60 months after diagnosis, were evaluated. In an attempt to identify predictive factors of visual outcomes, multiple variables (demographic and epidemiological characteristics, angiographic and tomographic features) were analyzed, at baseline and during follow-up. Results. One hundred and seventeen patients were included. In multivariate analysis, baseline best-corrected visual acuity was associated with all visual endpoints at 12 and 60 months. Additionally, age, gender, number of injections, and development of subretinal fibrosis during follow-up were also significant predictors of visual outcomes at 60 months. Conclusions. Several factors can be useful in clinical practice as predictors of visual outcomes in response to anti-VEGF treatment of nAMD.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paolo Corazza ◽  
Francesco Maria D’Alterio ◽  
Jamil Kabbani ◽  
Mostafa Mohamed Ragheb Alam ◽  
Stefano Mercuri ◽  
...  

Abstract Purpose To describe real-life data from wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) patients treated with anti-vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGFs) and to compare our results with previous studies and clinical trials. Methods This retrospective monocentric cohort study analyzed 865 eyes of 780 wet-AMD patients treated with an anti-VEGF treat-and-extend regimen over a long-term follow-up period. Aflibercept and Ranibizumab were considered first-line agents whereas Bevacizumab was reserved for use on a compassionate basis in patients not meeting treatment criteria. All patients underwent a best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) assessment at each follow-up visit. Results One-year follow-up figures were available for 82.5% of patients, whilst follow-up data was recorded for 55.6%, 37.6%, 25.1%, and 15.0% of the cohort at years 2, 3, 4, and 5 respectively. Patients treated with Bevacizumab received fewer yearly injections than those treated with Ranibizumab. However, no significant difference in the number of injections per year was detected in other comparisons between groups. Whilst our data showed no significant difference in mean BCVA between the three groups, there was a gradual deterioration of visual function over time for the patient cohort as a whole. Conclusion No significant differences between the 3 anti-VEGF molecules were recorded in wet-AMD patients in real-life conditions. Despite the long-term therapy, we found a slight reduction in visual function especially after the third year of treatment.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Lu ◽  
Wenzhi Huang ◽  
Yuehong Zhang ◽  
Xiongfei Huang ◽  
Xu Zhang ◽  
...  

Purpose: To evaluate the treatment solutions and effectiveness of intravitreal ranibizumab (RBZ) or conbercept in patients with wet age-related macular degeneration (wAMD) in a real-life setting in China.Methods: The medical records of 368 patients with wAMD who started RBZ or conbercept treatment between 1 May 2014 and 30 April 2018 were evaluated. All patients were defined on fundus angiography at baseline to determine the subtype of AMD (PCV or CNV). We report visual acuity (VA) and central retinal thickness (CRT) measurements at baseline and 12 months.Results: The average number of anti-VEGF injections was 2.1 ± 1.2. The BCVA improvement of these two groups was similar with a difference of 1.00 letter (95% CI: −1.4~3.4, p = 0.8505). At the end of the study, a BCVA increase of at least 5 letters was determined to be a satisfactory efficacy endpoint. Several factors were related to the possible improvement in the satisfactory efficacy endpoint, including female sex (OR 2.07, 95% CI 1.22~3.51), number of injections (OR 1.40, 95% CI 1.12~1.75) and VA change at the first month (OR 13.75, 95% CI 7.41~25.51). Additionally, some factors were related to the possible reduction in the satisfactory efficacy endpoint, including diabetes (OR 0.27, 95% CI 0.10~0.73) and disease history (OR 0.75, 95% CI 0.57~0.98).Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that anti-VEGF drugs can effectively improve BCVA and reduce CRT in AMD patients. Sex, number of injections, VA change at the first month, diabetes and disease history are the most important factors affecting visual acuity.


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 130-136
Author(s):  
Settimio Rossi ◽  
Carlo Gesualdo ◽  
Antonio Tartaglione ◽  
Giovan Battista Scazzi ◽  
Anna Cristina D’Alessio ◽  
...  

Aim: To evaluate the real utilization of ranibizumab and aflibercept in the daily management of patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) treated at the Eye Clinic of Campania University L.Vanvitelli. Background: Therapy with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor represents the gold standard in wet age-related macular degeneration. There are nonreal life italian studies of this therapy in the literature. Objective: To analyze in our sample the post-therapy variations of best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central retinal thickness (CRT) observed at the end of a 12-month follow-up period. Methods: This real-life study analyzes 109 patients that underwent monthly checks for the first 4 months and then every 2 months until the end of the 12-month follow-up. The sample was first analyzed in its entirety, subsequently subdivided into 3 groups based on baseline BCVA, age, and the number of intravitreal injections performed, in order to identify possible predictive elements of the anti-VEGF response. Results: On average, patients underwent 4.16 ± 1.58 intravitreal anti-VEGF injections in 1 year. At the end of the 12-month follow-up, the patients’ average BCVA increased from 33.01 letters to 33.75 letters (+0.74 ± 9,4 letters), while the average CRT decreased from 346.86 µm to 265.39 µm (-81.47 ± 121 µm). Conclusion: The study shows the efficacy of anti-VEGF therapy in the stabilization of BCVA in nAMD, confirming the differences in visual outcomes compared to clinical trials, mainly for economic-organizational reasons.


2015 ◽  
Vol 38 (7) ◽  
pp. 620-627 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Boulanger-Scemama ◽  
G. Querques ◽  
F. About ◽  
N. Puche ◽  
M. Srour ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Alessandro Arrigo ◽  
Andrea Saladino ◽  
Emanuela Aragona ◽  
Stefano Mercuri ◽  
Ugo Introini ◽  
...  

Purpose. To evaluate the effects of anti-VEGF treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) in a real-life clinical setting. Methods. Study design is a retrospective case series. Naïve nAMD patients treated with intravitreal injection of aflibercept or ranibizumab were analyzed over a 24-month follow-up. Each patient received the loading dose, followed by a PRN regimen. Patients were further subdivided into subgroups according to macular neovascularization type, best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at baseline ( BCVA > 0.3   LogMAR and BCVA ≤ 0.3   LogMAR ), and different anti-VEGF drugs. Primary outcome was the changes in BCVA and central macular thickness (CMT) over 24 months. Secondary outcomes included the influence of the selected drug and of the baseline BCVA on the final outcomes. Results. 439 patients (224 males; 51%) with naïve AMD-related macular neovascularization were included in the analyses. Mean age was 78 ± 8 years old. Compared to baseline evaluations, not significant BCVA changes were found at 1-year and 2-year examinations. CMT was significantly reduced at both 1-year and 2-year follow-ups ( p < 0.01 ). Classic, polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy and mixed subtypes significantly correlated with worse visual outcome ( p < 0.01 ). Overall, baseline BCVA significantly correlated with both 1-year and 2-year follow-up changes ( p < 0.01 ). Moreover, BCVA at 1-year significantly correlated with BCVA changes at 2-year follow-up ( p < 0.01 ). Furthermore, CMT changes from baseline significantly correlated with both 1-year and 2-year follow-up measurements ( p < 0.01 ). Conclusion. Anti-VEGF approach is generally effective in stopping nAMD progression in our real-life analysis. No difference was found comparing patients treated with ranibizumab and aflibercept, nor in patients with drug switching.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andre Grixti ◽  
Evangelia Papavasileiou ◽  
Dominic Cortis ◽  
Balakrishna Vineeth Kumar ◽  
Som Prasad

Purpose. To evaluate the visual outcomes and effect of phacoemulsification surgery on the progression of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Methods. Retrospective, noncomparative, and interventional case series. Thirty eyes from 29 subjects with neovascular AMD treated with intravitreal antivascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) injections who underwent phacoemulsification and had a postsurgery follow-up of 6 months were included. LogMAR best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was assessed preoperatively; 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months postoperatively; and finally at the last visit. The frequency of anti-VEGF therapy, calculated as the number of intravitreal injections per month, and central macular thickness (CMT) before and after cataract surgery were determined. Results. Median (range) logMAR BCVA was 0.69 (0.16 to 1.32) preoperatively; 0.55 (−0.04 to 1.32) at 1 month, 0.52 (−0.1 to 1.32) at 3 months, and 0.50 (0.0 to 1.32) at 6 months postoperatively; and 0.6 (0.0 to 1.4) at final visit (P=0.0011). There was no difference in the frequency of anti-VEGF injections between the immediate 6 months before and after phacoemulsification, which was equal to 0.1667 injections per month (P=0.6377). Median CMT measured 203 μm preoperatively, which temporarily increased to 238 μm at 1 month after surgery (P=0.0093) and then spontaneously returned to baseline, measuring 212.5 μm at 3 months postoperatively (P=0.3811). Conclusion. Phacoemulsification surgery significantly improved vision in patients with neovascular AMD, with no increased need for anti-VEGF injections to keep the macula dry postoperatively.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 251584142110559
Author(s):  
Rehan M. Hussain ◽  
Andrea Neal ◽  
Nicolas A. Yannuzzi ◽  
Kevin H. Patel ◽  
Siya Huo ◽  
...  

Background: Some patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) have persistent intraretinal/subretinal fluid (IRF/SRF) despite being treated with anti-VEGF agents. There is limited data on efficacy of switching to intravitreal brolucizumab (IVBr) in these patients. Purpose: To determine anatomic and visual outcomes of eyes with nAMD treated with for persistent IRF/SRF. Methods: Retrospective series of eyes with nAMD treated initially with aflibercept (IVA, n = 48) and bevacizumab (IVBe, n = 10), then switched to IVBr for persistent IRF/SRF. Results: In the IVA-IVBr group, a mean of 42 days after one IVBr, mean logMAR changed from 0.50 to 0.49 ( p = 0.73) and mean CSFT changed from 340 to 305 µm ( p < 0.001); 31% of eyes had no fluid, 42% had persistent but reduced fluid, 25% had stable fluid, and 2% had increased fluid. For a subgroup of 25 eyes that completed a series of 3 IVBr, mean logMAR changed from 0.44 to 0.40 ( p = 0.35) and mean CSFT changed from 325 to 277 µm ( p = 0.001); 24% of eyes had no fluid at last follow-up, a mean of 54 days after last IVBr. In the IVBe-IVBr group, a mean of 44 days after one IVBr, mean logMAR changed from 0.46 to 0.40 ( p = 0.114) and mean CSFT from 401 to 325 µm ( p = 0.009); 30% of eyes had no fluid and 70% had persistent but reduced fluid. For a subgroup of four eyes that completed a series of three IVBr, mean logMAR changed from 0.33 to 0.35 ( p = 0.391) and mean CSFT improved from 375 to 275 µm ( p = 0.001); 50% of eyes had no fluid at last follow-up, a mean of 65 days after last IVBr. Conclusion: In nAMD eyes previously treated with IVA and IVBe, switching to IVBr significantly reduced persistent IRF/SRF but did not significantly affect visual outcomes.


Eye ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justus G. Garweg ◽  
Peter G. Traine ◽  
Richard A. Garweg ◽  
Juliana Wons ◽  
Christin Gerhardt ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The continuation of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) treatment after achieving stability in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration has generally been advocated. In our own patients, we thought to assess whether continued anti-VEGF treatment is capable of preventing recurrences. Methods In this retrospective observational case series, patients with stable disease either opted to continue treatment every 12–14 weeks (Group 1) or stopped treatment with subsequent follow-up visits every 8–12 weeks (Group 2). Results Of the 103 eyes of 103 patients achieving stability, 49 eyes continued treatment (Group 1), whereas treatment was stopped in 54 eyes undergoing regular follow-up (Group 2). Recurrent disease was observed in 21 (42.9%) and 33 (61.1%) cases in Group 1 and Group 2, respectively (p = 0.08). Time between achieving stable disease and recurrence was comparable between Group 1 and Group 2 (11.1 ± 8.2 months vs. 9.2 ± 6.7 months; p = 0.43). The number of visits between achieving stability and disease recurrence was similar, but not the number of injections (3.5 ± 2.0 vs. 0.2 ± 0.4; p < 0.001). Conclusions Continuing anti-VEGF therapy after achieving functional and morphological stability every 12–14 weeks does not prevent recurrences. Patients deserve to be informed of a potential lifetime risk of recurrences, even under continued therapy.


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