Intravitreal bevacizumab for inflammatory choroidal neovascularization: results from the Pan-American Collaborative Retina Study Group at 24 months

Abstract

Background: To evaluate the anatomical and functional outcomes of intravitreal bevacizumab (1.25 or 2.5 mg) in the treatment of inflammatory choroidal neovascularization at 24 months.

Methods: We reviewed the clinical records of 22 consecutive patients (23 eyes) with choroidal neovascularization secondary to chorioretinal inflammatory disease in this interventional retrospective multicenter case series. Sixteen eyes (63.6%) received a dose of 1.25 mg of intravitreal bevacizumab, and 7 eyes (36.4%) received a dose of 2.5 mg of intravitreal bevacizumab.

Results: At baseline, the mean best-corrected visual acuity was 0.68 logarithm of minimum angle of resolution (Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study chart = 20/100). After intravitreal bevacizumab, best-corrected visual acuity improved significantly to 0.41 logarithm of minimum angle of resolution (20/51), 0.42 logarithm of minimum angle of resolution (20/53), and 0.40 logarithm of minimum angle of resolution (20/50) at 6, 12, and 24 months, respectively (P < 0.05). Fourteen eyes (60.8%) received 1 injection. Central macular thickness by optical coherence tomography decreased from 375.3 μm (range: 240-634 μm) at baseline to 241.6 μm (range: 189-306 μm) at 24 months of follow-up (P < 0.0001).

Conclusion: Intravitreal bevacizumab at doses of 1.25 mg and 2.5 mg seems to provide stability or improvement in best-corrected visual acuity, optical coherence tomography, and fluorescein angiogram in inflammatory choroidal neovascularization at 24 months. All patients were treated after the underlying uveitic condition was controlled.