gms | German Medical Science

Background: Intravitreal Bevacizumab has been used off label for years in neovascular age related macular degeneration without approval from prospective studies.

Methods: prospective, open label, non randomized, investigator initiated single center trail. 26 patients (28 eyes) were enrolled to receive 2 intravitreal bevacizumab (1mg) injections within 12 weeks and were thereafter prospectively followed every 3 weeks for 12 months. Retreatment was allowed when either loss of vision of at least one line/ 5 letters occurred and/ or an active choroidal neovascularisation was detected in OCT or fluorescein angiography.

Results: After 12 months vision improved by 10.3 ETDRS letters (p=0.000) from baseline 0.25 (dec.) or 55 letters. Central macular thickness decreased by 83µm (p=0.1).These results were obtained with an average amount of 4.6 injections. Vision improved of more than 3 lines/15 letters in a third of the treated eyes, whereas 2 patients (2 eyes) experienced a severe loss of vision of more than 3 lines. Adverse ocular side effects were not observed. One patient suffered from transient ischemic cerebral attack with complete recovery.

Conclusion: This study demonstrates similiar results of intravitreal Bevacizumab on demand in neovascular ARMD with regard to the other anti-VEGF agents justfiying the need for further direct comparing clinical trails.