Intravitreal Avastin for macular oedema secondary to retinal vein occlusion: a prospective study
- 1Department of Ophthalmology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- 2Department of Ophthalmology, Medical University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- S Michels, University Eye Hospital Zürich, Frauenklinikstrasse 24, CH-8091 Zurich, Switzerland; stephan.michels{at}usz.ch
- Accepted 26 December 2007
- Published Online First 22 January 2008
Abstract
Objective: To evaluate efficacy and safety of intravitreal bevacizumab (Avastin) in eyes with macular oedema secondary to central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) or branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO).
Methods: Twenty-eight consecutive patients (28 patients, 29 eyes, 8 CRVO, 21 BRVO) were enrolled in the study. Three intravitreal injections of 1 mg bevacizumab (0.04 ml) were administered at 4-week intervals; further retreatment was based on optical coherence tomography (OCT) findings. Follow-up examinations were done at days 1, 7 and 28 and at monthly intervals thereafter.
Results: Mean baseline central retinal thickness (CRT) in OCT was 558 µm (range 353–928 µm) and mean BCVA was 20/100. One day after the first injection, CRT significantly decreased to 401 μm (p<0.01). Three injections reduced macular oedema to 328 μm CRT (p<0.01) and improved BCVA to 20/50 (p<0.01). At 6 months, CRT was 382 μm (p<0.01), and BCVA was stable at 20/50−2 (p<0.01), FA showed no evidence of increased avascular zones.
Conclusion: Intravitreal injections of bevacizumab appear to be a safe and effective therapy in the treatment of macular oedema secondary to retinal vein occlusion.
Footnotes
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Competing interests: None.
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Ethics approval: The study was approved by the ethics committee at the Medical University of Vienna, was registered at the European clinical database (EUDRACT-2005-003288-21) and followed the tenets of the Helsinki protocol.
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Patient consent: Informed consent was obtained from all patients.









