Hideki Koizumi1, Mariko Kano2, Akiko Yamamoto3, Masaaki Saito2, Ichiro Maruko4, Ryo Kawasaki5, Tetsuju Sekiryu2, Annabelle A Okada3, Tomohiro Iida4. 1. Department of Ophthalmology, Tokyo Women's Medical University, Tokyo, Japan. Electronic address: koizumi.hideki@twmu.ac.jp. 2. Department of Ophthalmology, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Japan. 3. Department of Ophthalmology, Kyorin University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan. 4. Department of Ophthalmology, Tokyo Women's Medical University, Tokyo, Japan. 5. Department of Public Health, Yamagata University Faculty of Medicine, Yamagata, Japan.
Abstract
PURPOSE: To investigate changes in choroidal thickness after aflibercept therapy for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD). DESIGN: Retrospective, consecutive, interventional case series. METHODS: This study included 102 eyes of 102 patients with treatment-naïve neovascular AMD. All 102 eyes underwent 3 consecutive monthly 2.0 mg intravitreal aflibercept injections at baseline, 1 month, and 2 months. Choroidal thickness during 3 months were evaluated using either swept-source optical coherence tomography (OCT) or enhanced-depth imaging OCT. RESULTS: Of the 102 eyes, 46 eyes (45.1%) were diagnosed as typical neovascular AMD and 56 eyes (54.9%) as polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy. After intravitreal aflibercept injections, the mean subfoveal choroidal thickness decreased from 252.0 ± 99.7 μm at baseline to 217.9 ± 95.6 μm at 3 months (P < .0001; percentage change from baseline, 86.5%). Mean choroidal thickness measured at 3 mm from the foveal center in the superior, inferior, temporal, and nasal directions also decreased significantly from 258.7 ± 85.9 μm to 236.4 ± 84.6 μm, 229.9 ± 93.0 μm to 208.6 ± 86.5 μm, 237.4 ± 86.5 μm to 214.6 ± 79.5 μm, and 183.7 ± 97.0 μm to 162.3 ± 90.6 μm, respectively (P < .0001 for all directions). Both subtypes of neovascular AMD demonstrated a similar trend toward decreasing choroidal thickness during the follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS: Choroidal thickness significantly decreased not only at the foveal center but also in the entire macula after 3 monthly intravitreal aflibercept injections for neovascular AMD.
PURPOSE: To investigate changes in choroidal thickness after aflibercept therapy for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD). DESIGN: Retrospective, consecutive, interventional case series. METHODS: This study included 102 eyes of 102 patients with treatment-naïve neovascular AMD. All 102 eyes underwent 3 consecutive monthly 2.0 mg intravitreal aflibercept injections at baseline, 1 month, and 2 months. Choroidal thickness during 3 months were evaluated using either swept-source optical coherence tomography (OCT) or enhanced-depth imaging OCT. RESULTS: Of the 102 eyes, 46 eyes (45.1%) were diagnosed as typical neovascular AMD and 56 eyes (54.9%) as polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy. After intravitreal aflibercept injections, the mean subfoveal choroidal thickness decreased from 252.0 ± 99.7 μm at baseline to 217.9 ± 95.6 μm at 3 months (P < .0001; percentage change from baseline, 86.5%). Mean choroidal thickness measured at 3 mm from the foveal center in the superior, inferior, temporal, and nasal directions also decreased significantly from 258.7 ± 85.9 μm to 236.4 ± 84.6 μm, 229.9 ± 93.0 μm to 208.6 ± 86.5 μm, 237.4 ± 86.5 μm to 214.6 ± 79.5 μm, and 183.7 ± 97.0 μm to 162.3 ± 90.6 μm, respectively (P < .0001 for all directions). Both subtypes of neovascular AMD demonstrated a similar trend toward decreasing choroidal thickness during the follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS: Choroidal thickness significantly decreased not only at the foveal center but also in the entire macula after 3 monthly intravitreal aflibercept injections for neovascular AMD.