Long-term results of photodynamic therapy or ranibizumab for polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy in LAPTOP study.

BACKGROUND/AIM: We previously reported that ranibizumab performed better on visual prognosis than photodynamic therapy (PDT) in a Ranibizumab (Lucentis) And Photodynamic Therapy On Polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (LAPTOP) study. To determine if the first-choice treatment, either PDT or intravitreal ranibizumab, has a long-term effect in patients with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV). METHODS: We reviewed medical records of patientsrandomised to either PDT (29 eyes) or ranibizumab (27 eyes) from July 2009 to June 2011 in LAPTOP study. Retreatment or switching to other treatments were at the investigator's discretion after release from the 2-year LAPTOP study up to 5years. We evaluated visual acuity (VA), continuity of initial treatment, percentage of dry macula achievement and macular atrophy at 5 years. RESULTS: The logarithm of minimal angle of resolution VA was 0.56 in the PDT and 0.44 in the ranibizumab groups at baseline (p=0.101) and was 0.55 and 0.28 at 5years, respectively (p<0.05). More than 70% of the patients converted to aflibercept in following years. Achievement percentages of dry macula were 74% (PDT) and 63% (ranibizumab) at 5years, and macular atrophy was detected in 78% (PDT) and 60% (ranibizumab) with a mean area of 7.7 and 3.5 mm2, respectively (p=0.155). CONCLUSIONS: The better VA in the initial ranibizumab group compared with the PDT group at 2 years was retained at the 5-year follow-up.

The Comparison of the Surgical Outcome for the Full-Thickness Macular Hole with/without Lamellar Hole-Associated Epiretinal Proliferation.

AIMS: To compare the surgical outcome of pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) for full-thickness macular hole (FTMH) with and without lamellar hole-associated epiretinal proliferation (LHEP). METHODS: This retrospective study included 158 eyes of 158 patients with FTMH treated with PPV. The following variables were analyzed: sex, age, preoperative best corrected visual acuity (pre-BCVA), BCVA 6 months after the surgery (6M-BCVA), the axial length of eye, the minimum diameter of FTMH, the diameter of basal side of FTMH, postoperative continuity of subfoveal ellipsoid zone (EZ) and external limiting membrane (ELM), and the preoperative presence of LHEP. RESULTS: Twenty-eight eyes had FTMH with LHEP and 130 without LHEP. The mean ± SD age (years) was 72.6 ± 7.9 and 68.6 ± 8.7, respectively (p = 0.02). 6M-BCVA was 0.38 ± 0.30 and 0.26 ± 0.25, respectively (p = 0.03). The diameter of basal side of FTMH (µm) was 901.5 ± 404.9 and 658.9 ± 288.1, respectively (p = 0.00027). EZ was disrupted in 24 eyes and 63 eyes, respectively (p = 0.00071). ELM was disrupted in 15 eyes and 23 eyes, respectively (p = 0.00015). The FTMH diameters and the presence of LHEP were inversely correlated with the continuity of EZ and ELM. CONCLUSION: The preoperative appearance of LHEP could be one of the prognostic factor for the treatment of FTMH.

Comparison of the effect of ranibizumab and verteporfin for polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy: 12-month LAPTOP study results.

PURPOSE: To compare the effect of photodynamic therapy (PDT) and intravitreal ranibizumab in patients with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV). DESIGN: Randomized clinical trial. SETTING: Multicenter. STUDY POPULATION: Total of 93 patients with treatment-naïve PCV. INTERVENTION: Patients were randomized to 2 arms. Patients in the PDT arm underwent a single session of PDT with verteporfin, and patients in the ranibizumab arm received 3 monthly ranibizumab injections at baseline. Additional treatment was performed as needed in each arm. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary outcome measurement was the proportion of patients gaining or losing more than 0.2 logarithm of minimal angle of resolution (logMAR) units from baseline. Mean change of logMAR and central retinal thickness (CRT) were also evaluated. RESULTS: In the PDT arm (n = 47), 17.0% achieved visual acuity gain, 55.3% had no change, and 27.7% experienced visual acuity loss. The results were 30.4%, 60.9%, and 8.7%, respectively, in the ranibizumab arm (n = 46), significantly better than the PDT arm (P = .039). In the PDT arm, mean CRT improved (366.8 ± 113.6 µm to 289.1 ± 202.3 µm, P < .001), but logMAR was unchanged (0.57 ± 0.31 to 0.62 ± 0.40). The ranibizumab arm demonstrated improvement in both CRT (418.9 ± 168.6 µm to 311.2 ± 146.9 µm, P < .001) and logMAR (0.48 ± 0.27 to 0.39 ± 0.26, P = .003). Mean change of logMAR was also greater in the ranibizumab arm (P = .011). CONCLUSION: Intravitreal injection of ranibizumab is more effective than PDT for treatment-naïve PCV.

Visual outcome of photodynamic therapy for typical neovascular age-related macular degeneration and polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy over 5 years of follow-up.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the long-term effects of photodynamic therapy (PDT) on typical neovascular age-related macular degeneration (tAMD) and polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV). METHODS: This was a multicenter prospective study of 139 eyes from 136 patients (tAMD: 74 eyes; PCV: 65 eyes) who underwent PDT as the initial treatment. The change in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), predictive factors for the BCVA at 60 months, frequency of recurrence, and mean recurrence period were analyzed. RESULTS: The pre-PDT BCVA and greatest linear dimension (GLD) did not differ between the two groups. The mean BCVA (logMAR) was significantly improved at 6 months post-initial PDT (post-PDT) in the PCV group (-0.11, P = 0.0091). However, at 60 months post-PDT, the mean BCVA was significantly worse than baseline in the tAMD (+0.21, P = 0.0035) and PCV (+0.21, P = 0.0076) groups. Pre-PDT BCVA, age, and GLD were the factors significantly associated with the BCVA at 60 months post-PDT. Although the frequency of recurrence did not significantly differ between the two phenotype groups, the mean recurrence period was significantly longer in the PCV group than in the tAMD group (15.7 vs. 8.6 months, P = 0.0020). CONCLUSIONS: PDT may not have benefits for visual acuity in cases of tAMD and PCV over 5 years of follow-up.

Comparison of the effect between pegaptanib and ranibizumab on exudative age-related macular degeneration with small lesion size.

PURPOSE: To compare the effect of pegaptanib versus ranibizumab on exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD) with small lesion size. METHODS: This is a retrospective study of 81 eyes from 78 patients with exudative AMD treated and followed up over 12 months. Patients with baseline best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) under 20/400 and with a greatest linear dimension of lesion over 4500 µm were excluded from the study. Twenty-six eyes from 25 patients were treated with three consecutive intravitreal injections of pegaptanib (IVP group) and 55 eyes from 54 patients were treated with three consecutive ranibizumab injections (IVR group). Each therapy was repeated as needed. The alteration in BCVA was evaluated in the IVP and IVR groups. RESULTS: No differences were detected in baseline parameters between the IVP and IVR groups. The mean BCVA (logMAR) at month 1, 3, 6 and 12 after the initial treatment was improved from baseline in the IVP group (-0.095, -0.17, -0.18 and -0.18, respectively) and in the IVR group (-0.077, -0.15, -0.17 and -0.11, respectively), which was statistically significant. There was no difference in the change in mean BCVA between IVP and IVR groups at the same time periods. CONCLUSIONS: The visual outcome of IVP was equivalent with IVR in exudative AMD with small lesion size.

Photodynamic therapy for typical age-related macular degeneration and polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy: a 30-month multicenter study in Hyogo, Japan.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the long-term effects of photodynamic therapy (PDT) on different phenotypes of age-related macular degeneration (AMD): typical AMD (tAMD) and polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV). METHODS: A multicenter prospective study of 207 eyes of 201 patients (tAMD, 123 eyes; PCV, 84 eyes) treated with PDT. Sex, age, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), greatest linear dimension, and lesion type were evaluated for pretreatment factors. PDT frequency, BCVA at 30 months post-PDT, frequency of recurrence, and mean recurrence period were compared as posttreatment outcomes. RESULTS: The 30 months post-PDT mean BCVA was significantly lower than the pre-PDT value in the tAMD group, but it remained unchanged in the PCV group. There was no difference in PDT frequency between the two groups. Multivariate analysis revealed that lesion type was the only predicting factor significantly associated with BCVA at 30 months post-PDT. The incidence of recurrence before 30 months post-PDT was not significantly different between the tAMD and PCV groups, whereas the mean duration of the PDT effect was significantly longer in the PCV group than in the tAMD group. CONCLUSIONS: PDT may have some advantages for PCV patients, but not for tAMD patients. However, as PCV often recurred 12 months post-PDT, long-term observation after the treatment is crucial.

Comparative assessment of photodynamic therapy for typical age-related macular degeneration and polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy: a multicenter study in Hyogo prefecture, Japan.

PURPOSE: We aimed to evaluate the effects of photodynamic therapy (PDT) on different phenotypes of age-related macular degenerations (AMD): typical AMD (tAMD) and polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV). PROCEDURES: 246 eyes from 242 patients (tAMD: 139, PCV: 107 eyes) were recruited. Gender, age, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) before treatment, greatest linear dimension before treatment, lesion phenotype and PDT frequency were evaluated for predicting the BCVA at 12 months after PDT using stepwise multiple regression analyses. Additionally, 125 eyes with tAMD and 97 eyes with PCV followed up for more than 12 months after the final PDT were compared for the recurrence period. RESULTS: In the stepwise analysis, a younger age, better pretreatment BCVA, lower PDT frequency, lesions with PCV and a smaller pretreatment greatest linear dimension were all significantly beneficial for a better BCVA at 12 months after PDT. PCV showed a significantly lower PDT frequency and greater improvement in the BCVA than tAMD. The recurrence period of PCV was significantly later than that of tAMD. CONCLUSIONS: The phenotype of AMD is significantly correlated with its prognosis after PDT. PCV showed a significantly better response to PDT in terms of BCVA improvement and effect durability.