[Clinical course of patients with exudative-haemorrhagic age-related macular degeneration treated with ranibizumab. Eye2Eye study]

Abstract

Objective: To assess the mean best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) change in patients with exudative-haemorrhagic age-related macular degeneration (EH-ARMD) after 12-month period of treatment with ranibizumab.

Methods: A retrospective, multicentre and national study of intravitreal administered ranibizumab was conducted on 2 groups of EH-ARMD patients: only one eye affected (group 1) versus second eye affected (group 2), having the first one affected. Eligible subjects were ≥ 50 years old with primary or secondary active subfoveal EH-ARMD-related choroidal neovascularisation (CNV).

Results: A total of 184 patients (91 group 1 and 93 group 2) were included. Mean age (SD) was 75.3 (7.5) years, and 53.6% were women. The BCVA showed a VA improvement at 12 months of 9.3 (18.0) number of letters in group 1 and 5.1 (16.8) number of letters in group 2 (P<.0001 and P=.0042, respectively). No statistical differences between groups were observed. Lesion characteristics in the total population (baseline vs 12-month) were: drusen (69.1% vs 61.1%), macular haemorrhages (59.0% vs 7.3%), lipid exudates (28.1% vs 8.2%), and retinal pigment epithelium detachment (46.8% vs 19.0%). The optical coherence tomography (OCT) in the total population (baseline vs 12-month) showed a reduction in macular oedema (73.6% vs 20.9%), subretinal fluids (71.3% vs 14.7%), and intraretinal cysts (38.5 vs 19.7%), as well as a reduction of the mean foveal thickness 377.4 ± 109.8μm vs 249.1 ± 67.8μm in group 1 and 354.1 ± 123.2μm vs 254.6 ± 67.4μm in group 2, P<.0001, both groups, with no significant differences between groups.

Conclusions: Intravitreal administration of ranibizumab for a minimum of 12-months significantly improved the BCVA, decreased lesion characteristics, and reduced the initial mean foveal thickness in patients with CNV primary or secondary to EH-ARMD, both in patients with only one eye affected and in patients with a second eye affected, having the first one affected.