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Treatment of polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy by intravitreal injection of bevacizumab

  • Clinical Investigation
  • Published:
Japanese Journal of Ophthalmology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

To evaluate the efficacy of intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) in eyes with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV).

Methods

Seventeen eyes of 16 patients with either subfoveal or juxtafoveal PCV were treated with IVB. As the initial treatment, ten eyes were treated with a single injection of bevacizumab and seven were treated with three monthly injections. Additional IVB injections were performed in 15 eyes when either a recurrent or residual exudative change was seen. Follow-up after initiation of IVB ranged from 12 to 30 months (mean, 20.7 ± 5.7 months).

Results

The mean foveal thickness before IVB (492 ± 205 μm) decreased to 384 ± 181 μm at 3 months (P = 0.0008), and with additional IVB for recurrent exudative changes, the foveal thickness remained significantly reduced at 12 months (392 ± 203 μm, P = 0.0270). Mean visual acuity at baseline (0.54 ± 0.38 in logMAR) somewhat improved to 0.45 ± 0.32 at 3 months (P = 0.156). However, the improvement in visual acuity then subsided, and returned to the pretreatment value at 12 months (0.54 ± 0.39).

Conclusions

In eyes with PCV, IVB can reduce the exudative change and can maintain visual function for at least 1 year.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan

    Akitaka Tsujikawa, Sotaro Ooto, Kenji Yamashiro, Hiroshi Tamura, Atsushi Otani & Nagahisa Yoshimura

  2. Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, 54 Shogoin-Kawahara-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8507, Japan

    Akitaka Tsujikawa

Authors
  1. Akitaka Tsujikawa
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  2. Sotaro Ooto
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  3. Kenji Yamashiro
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  4. Hiroshi Tamura
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  5. Atsushi Otani
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  6. Nagahisa Yoshimura
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Correspondence to Akitaka Tsujikawa.

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Tsujikawa, A., Ooto, S., Yamashiro, K. et al. Treatment of polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy by intravitreal injection of bevacizumab. Jpn J Ophthalmol 54, 310–319 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10384-010-0813-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10384-010-0813-1

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