This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
PDT alone or with anti-VEGF may be best for polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Photodynamic therapy with verteporfin alone or combined with ranibizumab outperformed ranibizumab alone in treating symptomatic macular polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy, according to a study.
The EVEREST Study included 61 patients older than 18 years with symptomatic macular polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy. Patients were randomized to undergo verteporfin PDT plus Lucentis 0.5 mg (ranibizumab, Genentech) (19 patients), verteporfin plus sham injection (21 patients) or ranibizumab 0.5 mg plus sham PDT (21 patients).
Indocyanine green angiography was performed at baseline and at 3, 4, 5 and 6 months after initiation of treatment.
Study results showed complete polyp regression in 77.8% of patients in the PDT plus ranibizumab group, 71.4% of patients in the PDT group and 28.6% of patients in the ranibizumab group; the difference between the PDT groups and the ranibizumab monotherapy group was statistically significant (P < .01).
Mean visual acuity improved by 10.9 letters in the PDT plus ranibizumab group, 7.5 letters in the PDT group and 9.2 letters in the ranibizumab group at 6 months.
Decrease in mean polyp area was 91.8% in the PDT plus ranibizumab group. 85.5% in the PDT group and 68% in the ranibizumab group.
Central retinal thickness decreased by 145.6 µm in the PDT plus ranibizumab group, 98.1 µm in the PDT group and 65.7 µm in the ranibizumab group, the authors said.
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts