Minimally invasive laser treatment combined with intravitreal injection of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor for diabetic macular oedema

Sci Rep. 2019 May 20;9(1):7585. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-44130-5.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of the combination of minimally invasive laser treatment to the intravitreal injection of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) for diabetic macular oedema (DME). This study was retrospective longitudinal study of thirty-four eyes of 31 patients with DME. Either once or several times of intravitreal anti-VEGF injection was followed by the single minimally invasive laser within a month. The mean best corrected visual acuity (VA) and the central macular thickness (CMT) were measured before treatment, 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after the first anti-VEGF injection. The mean logMAR VA had improved from 0.52 ± 0.34 at baseline to 0.44 ± 0.32 (p = 0.003), 0.40 ± 0.34 (p = 0.006), 0.43 ± 0.33 (p = 0.063), and 0.41 ± 0.34 (p = 0.009), at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after treatment, respectively. The mean CMT decreased significantly by 1 month and maintained over 12 months (491.1 ± 133.9 µm at baseline, 396.6 ± 116.8 µm (p = 0.001), 385.2 ± 156.2 µm (p = 0.002), 336.5 ± 86.3 µm (p = 0.000), and 354.8 ± 120.4 µm (p = 0.000) at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months, respectively). The average number of the anti-VEGF injection in 1 year was 3.6 ± 2.1 in all patients. The combined intravitreal anti-VEGF and minimally invasive laser therapy improves the VA, alleviates DME, and may decrease the required number of anti-VEGF injections.

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Angiogenesis Inhibitors / administration & dosage
  • Angiogenesis Inhibitors / therapeutic use*
  • Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / complications*
  • Diabetic Retinopathy / etiology
  • Diabetic Retinopathy / pathology
  • Diabetic Retinopathy / therapy*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Intravitreal Injections
  • Laser Coagulation / methods*
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Macular Edema / etiology
  • Macular Edema / pathology
  • Macular Edema / therapy*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Ranibizumab / administration & dosage
  • Ranibizumab / therapeutic use
  • Receptors, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor / administration & dosage
  • Receptors, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor / therapeutic use
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / administration & dosage
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / therapeutic use
  • Retrospective Studies

Substances

  • Angiogenesis Inhibitors
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins
  • aflibercept
  • Receptors, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor
  • Ranibizumab