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Subfoveal choroidal thickness decreases after anti-VEGF injections
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Subfoveal choroidal thickness decreased in eyes with neovascular age-related macular degeneration after intravitreal injections of ranibizumab, according to a study.
A prospective, interventional case series assessed the effects of intravitreal Lucentis (ranibizumab, Genentech) on subfoveal choroidal thickness in eyes with neovascular AMD. The study included 40 eyes with AMD and 40 unaffected fellow eyes of 40 subjects.
The eyes with AMD received 0.5 mg of ranibizumab once a month for 3 months. After 3 months, patients received further injections only if they had persistent subretinal or intraretinal fluid, experienced a new macular hemorrhage, developed choroidal neovascularization, or had an expanding pigment epithelial detachment.
In the eyes with AMD, mean subfoveal choroidal thickness decreased at 1 month (P = .013), 3 months (P < .001), 6 months (P = .002) and 12 months (P = .002).
“Intravitreal injections of ranibizumab may provide a pharmacologic effect not only on the CNV but also on the choroid under the neovascular lesion. It may be intriguing to investigate which other anti-VEGF medications have a similar effect on the choroidal thickness to further understand their pharmacokinetics and the pathophysiology of neovascular AMD,” the study authors said.
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