Ranibizumab for vascularized pigment epithelial detachment: 1-year anatomic and functional results.

PURPOSE: To assess the anatomical and functional efficacy of ranibizumab on vascularized pigment epithelial detachment (V-PED) secondary to neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD).

METHODS: One hundred and nine patients (116 eyes) were retrospectively selected from medical records of 2097 patients who benefited from intravitreal injection between January 2011 and June 2013 in a tertiary-care University-based Department of Ophthalmology. Inclusion criteria were: nAMD, treatment-naive eyes, presence of V-PED higher than 250 μm, intravitreal ranibizumab with a loading phase, followed by a pro-re-nata regimen, and 1-year follow-up. Baseline characteristics and type of choroidal neovascularization (CNV) were analyzed. PED height, central macular thickness (CMT) and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA, logMAR) were measured at baseline, months 3, 6 and 12.

RESULTS: CNV was of type 1 in 91 eyes (78.4 %), type 2 in seven (6 %), type 3 in six (5.2 %), and polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy in 12 (10.3 %). Mean CMT at baseline was 572.1 μm and decreased to 396.6 μm (p < 0.0001) at 12 months. Mean height of PED was 458.2 μm at baseline and 306.8 μm (p < 0.0001) at 12 months. Mean BCVA improved from 0.46 at baseline to 0.39 at 12 months (p = 0.013).

CONCLUSIONS: Treatment with ranibizumab improved visual and anatomical outcome in nAMD patients with V-PED.