Real-life anti-vascular endothelial growth factor treatment for age-related macular degeneration and diabetic macular edema in an Italian tertiary referral hospital.

Maurizio Battaglia Parodi, Francesco Romano, Alessandro Arrigo, Raffaele Sacchi, Gianluca Scanzi, Camilla Ferri, Francesco Bandello

European journal of ophthalmology 2020 Nov

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To study the real-life outcomes of intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor treatment in patients affected by age-related macular degeneration and diabetic macular edema in an Italian tertiary referral hospital over a 2-year follow-up. Patients with confirmed diagnosis of age-related macular degeneration or diabetic macular edema and 2 years of follow-up were retrospectively analyzed. They underwent a loading dose of three monthly anti-vascular endothelial growth factor injections, with re-treatment performed following a "pro-re-nata" regimen. Best-corrected visual acuity and central retinal thickness were collected and statistically analyzed. In total, 167 diabetic macular edema eyes and 108 age-related macular degeneration eyes were included. Mean age was 63.4 ± 11.8 years for diabetic macular edema and 75.6 ± 8.4 years for age-related macular degeneration. For diabetic macular edema patients, mean number of injections was 5.0 ± 1.7 at 1 year and 2.8 ± 1.8 at 2 years. Mean best-corrected visual acuity improved from 60 Early Treatment for Diabetic Retinopathy Study letters to 66.7 letters at 1 year, and to 70 letters at 2 years (p < 0.001). Mean central retinal thickness decreased from 459 ± 148 µm to 327 ± 163 µm and 261 ± 89 µm, respectively, at the first and the second year (p < 0.001).With respect to age-related macular degeneration patients, mean number of injections was 5.3 ± 2.2 at 1 year and 3.3 ± 1.5 at 2 years. Mean best-corrected visual acuity improved from 63 Early Treatment for Diabetic Retinopathy Study letters to 68 letters at 1 year and to 70 letters at 2 years (p < 0.001). Mean central retinal thickness was 411 ± 146 µm, decreasing to 271 ± 93 µm at 1 year and 260 ± 68 µm at 2 years (p < 0.001). Our study described the 2-year real-life outcome of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor treatment of diabetic macular edema and age-related macular degeneration.

Citation

Maurizio Battaglia Parodi, Francesco Romano, Alessandro Arrigo, Raffaele Sacchi, Gianluca Scanzi, Camilla Ferri, Francesco Bandello. Real-life anti-vascular endothelial growth factor treatment for age-related macular degeneration and diabetic macular edema in an Italian tertiary referral hospital. European journal of ophthalmology. 2020 Nov;30(6):1461-1466