J Korean Ophthalmol Soc.  2021 Jul;62(7):939-947. 10.3341/jkos.2021.62.7.939.

One-year Outcomes of a Treat-and-extend of Ranibizumab for Naive Exudative Age-related Macular Degeneration: Retrospective Analysis

• Choi YJ
• Yoo WS
• Cho YW
• Choi YJ
• Chung IY

• KMID: 2518496
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3341/jkos.2021.62.7.939

Abstract

Purpose
This study investigated the 1-year outcomes of a treat-and-extend regimen of ranibizumab for exudative age-related macular degeneration and examined the clinical results when drug treatment was changed within the same period.
Methods
This retrospective analysis included 32 eyes first diagnosed with wet age-related macular degeneration and treated for more than 1 year with a treat-and-extend regimen of ranibizumab, as well as 24 eyes treated by changing from ranibizumab to aflibercept within the same period. The injection number, maximum injection interval, change in central retinal thickness, and best-corrected visual acuity were assessed in all eyes.
Results
In 32 eyes that received a treat-and-extend regimen of ranibizumab, the mean best-corrected visual acuity improved from 59.46 ± 15.13 to 68.00 ± 12.48 at 12 months (p < 0.0001). The mean central retinal thickness decreased from 409 ± 141 μm to 273 ± 89 μm at 12 months (p < 0.0001). The average number of injections per year was 7.2 ± 0.85. One complication related to the 12 months of injections was a tear in the retinal pigment epithelium; no systemic complications were observed. Of 24 eyes that underwent a change in medication, the rate of maintenance or improvement in initial visual acuity was 83% (10 eyes). The central retinal thickness was initially 371.58 ± 109.96 μm, but improved to 290.33 ± 58.66 μm in 12 eyes that received three injections of aflibercept.
Conclusions
At 1 year, good outcomes were obtained using treat-and-extend ranibizumab for exudative age-related macular degeneration. When the treatment was changed to aflibercept within the same period, vision was often maintained and short-term anatomical improvement was evident.

Keyword

Exudative age-related macular degeneration, Ranibizumab, Treat-and-extend regimen