This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Treat-and-extend bevacizumab improves vision in treatment of BRVO-related macular edema
Intravitreal bevacizumab administered in a treat-and-extend regimen compared favorably to as-needed injections of ranibizumab in the treatment of branch retinal vein occlusion-associated macular edema, according to a study.
“Notwithstand¬ing the retrospective and uncontrolled nature of our study, our data suggest that [intravitreal bevacizumab] delivered in a [treat-and-extend] regimen is a cost-effective strategy that offers excel¬lent visual and anatomic outcomes compared to the PRN ranibizumab strategies employed in phase 3 clinical trials,” the study authors wrote.
The retrospective study included 52 patients with branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO)-associated macular edema who underwent intravitreal injections of Avastin (bevacizumab, Genentech) on a treat-and-extend basis. Mean patient age was 70.4 years. Mean number of injections was 8.2.
The primary outcome measure was change in best corrected visual acuity at 12 months. Secondary measures were change in central macular thickness and number of injections administered over 12 months.
At baseline, mean BCVA was 0.54. Mean baseline central macular thickness was 490 µm. Mean final BCVA was 0.24, a statistically significant improvement (P < .001). Mean central macular thickness also improved significantly, decreasing to 246 µm (P < .001).
Seventy-five percent of patients gained two or more logMAR lines; 59.62% gained three or more lines. No patients lost visual acuity from baseline to 12-month follow-up.
Time between injections was extended beyond 12 weeks for 19 patients (36.5%), with no recurrence of exudation, according to the authors. No injection-related complications or systemic adverse effects were reported.
Disclosure: The authors have no relevant financial disclosures.