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Comparative Study
. 2024 Aug 14;60(8):1311.
doi: 10.3390/medicina60081311.

Comparison of One-Year Outcome of Intravitreal Aflibercept with or without Photodynamic Therapy for Polypoidal Choroidal Vasculopathy

Hsin-Yu Weng  1 , Fang-Ting Chen  1   2 , Ling-Uei Wang  1 , Tzu-Lun Huang  1   3 , Wei-Ting Ho  1   2   4 , Pei-Yao Chang  1   2   3 , Yung-Ray Hsu  1   2   3 , Yun-Ju Chen  1   2 , Jia-Kang Wang  1   2   3   4
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Comparison of One-Year Outcome of Intravitreal Aflibercept with or without Photodynamic Therapy for Polypoidal Choroidal Vasculopathy

Hsin-Yu Weng et al. Medicina (Kaunas). .

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Our study compared the visual and anatomical outcomes of polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) patients receiving intravitreal aflibercept (IVA) with or without photodynamic therapy (PDT) over 12 months. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study was performed for 60 eyes from 60 patients with treatment-naïve PCV. Thirty eyes were treated using IVA monotherapy (IVA group), and thirty eyes were treated using a combination of IVA with PDT (IVA/PDT group). The baseline characteristics, treatment outcomes, and retreatment rates were compared between the two groups over a one-year follow-up period. Results: The best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was found to have improved significantly in the IVA/PDT group at every 3-month visit. However, no significant BCVA improvement was observed in the IVA group. A significantly lower retreatment rate and higher dry macula rate were found in the IVA/PDT group than that in the IVA group. In the entire population of the study, a better baseline vision and younger age were associated with better final visual outcomes. Retreatment was associated with poor baseline BCVA and IVA monotherapy. Conclusions: The combination of IVA and PDT may offer superior visual improvement and a higher dry macula rate compared to IVA monotherapy in the treatment of PCV patients while requiring fewer retreatments over 12 months.

Keywords: aflibercept; intravitreal injection; photodynamic therapy; polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy; verteporfin.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Changes in mean best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) in LogMAR for two groups (* p < 0.05 compared with baseline BCVA).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Changes in mean central retinal thickness (CRT) for two groups (* p < 0.05 compared with baseline CRT).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Changes in dry macula rate of two groups (* p < 0.05 compared between the two groups).
Figure 4
Figure 4
This is a 76-year-old man diagnosed with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) in his right eye. (A–C) are images taken prior to treatment, (D–F) are images captured 3 months after IVA/PDT treatment, and (G) is an image obtained 12 months after IVA/PDT treatment. (A) Fluorescein angiography (FA) shows fluorescein leakages. (B) Indocyanine green angiography (ICGA) shows polypoidal lesions (arrows). (C) Optical coherence tomography (OCT) reveals pigment epithelial detachment (PED), subretinal and intraretinal fluid. (D) FA shows staining without active leakage. (E) ICGA demonstrates complete regression of the polyp. (F,G) OCT reveals no subretinal or intraretinal fluid, although pigment epithelial detachment (PED) persists.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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