BACKGROUND: Best's disease is a hereditary form of macular dystrophy that starts in childhood and progresses until visual symptoms occur. In evolution it can be complicated with choroidal neovascularization, condition very rare in children. We report an important visual improvement in a 8-year-old caucasian girl after successful treatment with one intravitreal bevacizumab injection. There are few cases reported in literature (1-7), and the patient presented here have important particularities: one of the youngest children ever-mentioned with this complication, the third-member of her family with this disease and the first patient who didn't receive a second intravitreal bevacizumab at six weeks after first treatment, even though BCVA was lower than expected. The girl accused decrease of vision in the RE for the past 3-4 months. BCVA at presentation was 1/10. After 6 weeks from the intravitreal treatment, BCVA improved, but not very satisfactory (5/10). Because fundus and OCT aspects were encouraging, we waited another 4 weeks before the second injection. BCVA doubled in this period (8/10). Visual acuity, fundus and OCT aspects stabilized for 18 months of follow-up. CONCLUSION: We note that choroidal neovascular membrane associated with Best's disease can appear at such young children, this fact being very important in the phase of diagnosis, when the clinician should also take in consideration this possibility. Another important idea underlined here is the long-term efficacy of a single intravitreal anti-VEGF injection and also the no-need for imminent, fast re-treatment when the fundus and OCT aspects are encouraging through the follow-up.
BACKGROUND:Best's disease is a hereditary form of macular dystrophy that starts in childhood and progresses until visual symptoms occur. In evolution it can be complicated with choroidal neovascularization, condition very rare in children. We report an important visual improvement in a 8-year-old caucasian girl after successful treatment with one intravitreal bevacizumab injection. There are few cases reported in literature (1-7), and the patient presented here have important particularities: one of the youngest children ever-mentioned with this complication, the third-member of her family with this disease and the first patient who didn't receive a second intravitreal bevacizumab at six weeks after first treatment, even though BCVA was lower than expected. The girl accused decrease of vision in the RE for the past 3-4 months. BCVA at presentation was 1/10. After 6 weeks from the intravitreal treatment, BCVA improved, but not very satisfactory (5/10). Because fundus and OCT aspects were encouraging, we waited another 4 weeks before the second injection. BCVA doubled in this period (8/10). Visual acuity, fundus and OCT aspects stabilized for 18 months of follow-up. CONCLUSION: We note that choroidal neovascular membrane associated with Best's disease can appear at such young children, this fact being very important in the phase of diagnosis, when the clinician should also take in consideration this possibility. Another important idea underlined here is the long-term efficacy of a single intravitreal anti-VEGF injection and also the no-need for imminent, fast re-treatment when the fundus and OCT aspects are encouraging through the follow-up.
Authors: Corina Taban; A Merticariu; Livia Melcioiu; Anca Oprescu; R Ionescu; A Iacob; M Pienaru; Daniela Desliu; F Balta Journal: Oftalmologia Date: 2013