Enlargement rate of geographic atrophy before and after secondary CNV conversion with associated anti-VEGF treatment.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

To study the enlargement rate of primary geographic atrophy (GA) before and after diagnosis of a secondary choroidal neovascularization (CNV) treated with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy.

METHODS:

Five hundred twenty-two consecutive eyes with primary GA were screened for the development of a complicating secondary CNV. Geographic atrophy was measured on blue autofluorescence (BAF) by two readers and calculated into mean growth rate before and after CNV diagnosis.

RESULTS:

Ten eyes of six patients were included in the study (six study eyes with GA complicated by CNV, four GA only partner eyes). Follow-up was 1.42 ± 0.48 years before and 3.64 ± 2.73 years after CNV. There was no significant difference between mean growth rate before and after CNV (1.58 ± 0.99 vs. 1.39 ± 0.65 mm2/year; p = 0.44) or between study and partner eyes (p = 0.86). Over a mean time of 3.64 ± 2.73 years, a mean of 8.3 ± 2.8 anti-VEGF injections were given. No correlation between the amount of anti-VEGF injections and change in growth rate could be observed (r = 0.58; p = 0.23).

CONCLUSION:

In this pilot study, primary GA enlargement did not seem to be influenced by a secondary CNV. No association between the intensity of anti-VEGF treatment and changes in atrophy enlargement rates were found. Further studies with larger sample sizes are warranted.

• Authors: Jakob Siedlecki, Caroline Koch, Benedikt Schworm, Raffael Liegl, Thomas Kreutzer, Karsten U Kortuem, Ricarda Schumann, Siegfried G Priglinger, Armin Wolf
• Journal: BMC ophthalmology (BMC Ophthalmol) Vol. 21 Issue 1 Pg. 4 (Jan 05 2021) ISSN: 1471-2415 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 33402147 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Angiogenesis Inhibitors
• Ranibizumab

Topics

• Angiogenesis Inhibitors
• Choroidal Neovascularization (drug therapy, etiology)
• Fluorescein Angiography
• Geographic Atrophy (chemically induced, diagnosis, drug therapy)
• Humans
• Intravitreal Injections
• Pilot Projects
• Ranibizumab (therapeutic use)
• Tomography, Optical Coherence