Abstract

Background: To evaluate the effect of systemic bevacizumab (Avastin®) therapy on pigment epithelial detachment (PED) secondary to age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and to identify prognostic factors for PED regression and improvement in best corrected visual acuity (BCVA).

Study design: Prospective uncontrolled pilot study.

Methods: Nine patients (nine eyes) received three systemic bevacizumab treatments at 2 week intervals and were examined at baseline, weeks 1, 2, 4, 6 and month 3 by using optical coherence tomography (Stratus OCT™, Carl Zeiss© Meditec, Dublin, California, USA). Changes in maximum PED height and greatest linear diameter (GLD) were planimetrically analysed by using Adobe Photoshop CS and correlated with retinal morphological changes and changes in BCVA.

Results: Systemic bevacizumab therapy was well tolerated. Mean maximum PED height decreased significantly by 21% as early as 1 week (−96 µm (SD 48.8), p<0.01). At 3 months follow-up, two PEDs resolved completely, mean maximum PED height decreased significantly by 39% (−179 µm (SD 178), p = 0.02) and mean PED GLD by 24% (−714 µm (SD 1010), p = 0.07). Mean BCVA improved significantly by week 2 (+8.7 letters (SD 5.7), p<0.01) and at 3 months with 12.7 letters (SD 6.4) (p<0.01).

Conclusion: In the examined nine patients, systemic bevacizumab therapy showed evidence for an effect on PED secondary to neovascular AMD in terms of a decrease in lesion height and diameter. A high PED at baseline was found to be a negative predictive factor for visual outcome.