BACKGROUND/ PURPOSE: Observation of choroidal thickness after anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy may be important for the ideal management of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD). This study investigated changes in subfoveal choroidal thickness (SCT) during loading doses of intravitreal injections of brolucizumab in eyes with neovascular AMD. METHODS: This study included 73 eyes of 72 patients with neovascular AMD at five university hospitals in Japan. All 73 eyes underwent three monthly 6.0 mg intravitreal injections of brolucizumab at baseline, 1 month, and 2 months. The SCT at 3 months was evaluated using optical coherence tomography. RESULTS: The 73 eyes were classified into the treatment-naïve group (43 eyes) and the switched group (30 eyes) that were switched from other anti-VEGF treatments. After three intravitreal injections of brolucizumab, SCT significantly decreased from 236.5 ± 98.8 µm at baseline to 200.4 ± 98.3 µm at 3 months (percent of baseline 84.7%, P < 0.001) in the treatment-naïve group. In the switched group, SCT also significantly decreased from 229.0 ± 113.2 μm at baseline to 216.9 ± 110.2 μm at 3 months (percent of baseline 94.7%, P = 0.039), although the decrease was not as marked compared to that of the treatment-naïve group. CONCLUSION: Intravitreal injections of brolucizumab for neovascular AMD significantly reduced the SCT in both the treatment-naïve and switched groups. Brolucizumab may cause significant anatomic changes in the choroid, particularly in treatment-naïve AMD eyes, possibly more than that previously reported for other anti-VEGF agents.
BACKGROUND/ PURPOSE: Observation of choroidal thickness after anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy may be important for the ideal management of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD). This study investigated changes in subfoveal choroidal thickness (SCT) during loading doses of intravitreal injections of brolucizumab in eyes with neovascular AMD. METHODS: This study included 73 eyes of 72 patients with neovascular AMD at five university hospitals in Japan. All 73 eyes underwent three monthly 6.0 mg intravitreal injections of brolucizumab at baseline, 1 month, and 2 months. The SCT at 3 months was evaluated using optical coherence tomography. RESULTS: The 73 eyes were classified into the treatment-naïve group (43 eyes) and the switched group (30 eyes) that were switched from other anti-VEGF treatments. After three intravitreal injections of brolucizumab, SCT significantly decreased from 236.5 ± 98.8 µm at baseline to 200.4 ± 98.3 µm at 3 months (percent of baseline 84.7%, P < 0.001) in the treatment-naïve group. In the switched group, SCT also significantly decreased from 229.0 ± 113.2 μm at baseline to 216.9 ± 110.2 μm at 3 months (percent of baseline 94.7%, P = 0.039), although the decrease was not as marked compared to that of the treatment-naïve group. CONCLUSION: Intravitreal injections of brolucizumab for neovascular AMD significantly reduced the SCT in both the treatment-naïve and switched groups. Brolucizumab may cause significant anatomic changes in the choroid, particularly in treatment-naïve AMD eyes, possibly more than that previously reported for other anti-VEGF agents.
Authors: K Bailey Freund; Jean-François Korobelnik; Robert Devenyi; Carsten Framme; John Galic; Edward Herbert; Hans Hoerauf; Paolo Lanzetta; Stephan Michels; Paul Mitchell; Jordi Monés; Carl Regillo; Ramin Tadayoni; James Talks; Sebastian Wolf Journal: Retina Date: 2015-08 Impact factor: 4.256
Authors: Pravin U Dugel; Adrian Koh; Yuichiro Ogura; Glenn J Jaffe; Ursula Schmidt-Erfurth; David M Brown; Andre V Gomes; James Warburton; Andreas Weichselberger; Frank G Holz Journal: Ophthalmology Date: 2019-04-12 Impact factor: 12.079
Authors: Wan Ling Wong; Xinyi Su; Xiang Li; Chui Ming G Cheung; Ronald Klein; Ching-Yu Cheng; Tien Yin Wong Journal: Lancet Glob Health Date: 2014-01-03 Impact factor: 26.763
Authors: Jeffrey S Heier; David M Brown; Victor Chong; Jean-Francois Korobelnik; Peter K Kaiser; Quan Dong Nguyen; Bernd Kirchhof; Allen Ho; Yuichiro Ogura; George D Yancopoulos; Neil Stahl; Robert Vitti; Alyson J Berliner; Yuhwen Soo; Majid Anderesi; Georg Groetzbach; Bernd Sommerauer; Rupert Sandbrink; Christian Simader; Ursula Schmidt-Erfurth Journal: Ophthalmology Date: 2012-10-17 Impact factor: 12.079