Ranibizumab versus aflibercept for the treatment of vascularized pigment epithelium detachment due to age-related macular degeneration

Psychophysical, electrofunctional, and morphological evaluation in naïve neovascular AMD patients treated with intravitreal anti-VEGF

Objectives

The aim of this study was to investigate the retinal morpho-functional characteristics of patients with neovascular wet age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) treated with intravitreal injection (IV) of aflibercept (AFL).

Methods

The study was conducted on 35 patients previously diagnosed with type 1 nAMD who received a fixed-dosing regimen of aflibercept injections over 12 months. The goal was to assess trends in visual abilities over time by measuring visual acuity (VA), contrast sensitivity (CS), visual evoked potentials (VEPs), and spectral domain-optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). The same psychophysical, electro-functional, and morphological tests administered at baseline (T0) were repeated 4 to 8 weeks after the last aflibercept injection (Tn), resulting in a total of six examinations.

Results

At Tn, all subjects exhibited improved VA for both far and near distances compared to values detected at T0. Similarly, VEP amplitude and latency values at Tn showed a greater P100 improvement than those observed at T0. Additionally, the CS examination at Tn demonstrated improvement, particularly at high spatial stimulation frequencies. The Tn SD-OCT results highlighted a reduction in macular thickness compared to T0 values.

Conclusions

This exploratory research indicates that intravitreal injections of AFL, following a fixed-dosing regimen, represent a valuable therapeutic approach for enhancing visual performance. This conclusion is supported by comprehensive statistical analysis of psychophysical, electro-functional, and morphological examinations within the same group of patients with nAMD, as demonstrated for the first time.

Comparative efficacy of aflibercept and ranibizumab in the treatment of age-related macular degeneration with retinal pigment epithelial detachment: a systematic review and network meta-analysis

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the efficacy of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in treatment of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) with retinal pigment epithelial detachment (PED).

METHODS

Systematic review identifying studies comparing intravitreal ranibizumab (IVR), intravitreal aflibercept (IVA) and intravitreal conbercept (IVC) published before Mar 2022.

RESULTS

One randomized controlled trial and 6 observational studies were selected for meta-analysis (1,069 patients). The change of best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) in IVA 2.0 mg group was better than IVR 0.5 mg (average difference 0.07) and IVR 2.0 mg (average difference 0.10), the differences were statistically significant. The change of the height of PED in IVA 2.0 group was better than IVR 0.5 group (average difference 45.30), the difference was statistically significant. The proportion of patients without PED at last visit in IVA 2.0 group were better than those in IVR 2.0 group (hazard ratio 1.91), the difference was statistically significant. There was no significant difference compared with IVR 0.5 group (hazard ratio 1.45). IVA required fewer injections than IVR, with a mean difference of -1.58.

CONCLUSIONS

IVA appears to be superior to IVR in improvement of BCVA, height decrease of PED and regression of PED with less injections in nAMD with PED.

Modern trends in diagnostics and prediction of results of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy of pigment epithelial detachment in neovascular agerelated macular degeneration using deep machine learning method (literature review)

Detachment of the pigment epithelium is the separation of the basement membrane of the retinal pigment epithelium from the inner collagen layer of Bruch’s membrane, which occurs in 80 % of cases in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration. The outcome of anti-VEGF therapy for pigment epithelial detachment may be adherence of the pigment epithelium, the formation of pigment epithelium tear, or preservation of the detachment. The pigment epithelium tear of 3–4th degrees can lead to a sharp decrease in visual acuity.Most retrospective studies confi rm the absence of a proven correlation between anatomical and functional outcomes in the treatment of pigment epithelial detachment in cases of maintaining the integrity of the pigment epithelium monolayer, and therefore the main attention of researchers is focused on studying the morphological features of pigment epithelial detachment during therapy with angiogenesis inhibitors. Modern technologies of spectral optical coherence tomography make it possible to evaluate detailed quantitative parameters of pigment epithelium detachment, such as height, width, maximum linear diameter, area, volume and refl ectivity within the detachment.Groups of Russian and foreign authors identify various biomarkers recorded on optical coherence tomography images. Dynamic registration of such biomarkers expands the ability of clinicians to predict morphological changes in pigment epithelial detachment during anti-VEGF therapy, as well as to optimize treatment regimens to prevent complications in the form of pigment epithelium tear leading to a decrease in visual acuity.Modern methods of deep machine learning and the use of neural networks allow achieving higher accuracy in diff erentiating the types of retinal fluids and automating the quantitative determination of fl uid under the pigment epithelium. These technologies allow achieving a high level of compliance with manual expert assessment and increasing the accuracy and speed of predicting morphological results of treatment of pigment epithelium detachments.

Anti-VEGF-Resistant Retinal Diseases: A Review of the Latest Treatment Options

Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapy currently plays a central role in the treatment of numerous retinal diseases, most notably exudative age-related macular degeneration (eAMD), diabetic retinopathy and retinal vein occlusions. While offering significant functional and anatomic benefits in most patients, there exists a subset of 15–40% of eyes that fail to respond or only partially respond. For these cases, various treatment options have been explored with a range of outcomes. These options include steroid injections, laser treatment (both thermal therapy for retinal vascular diseases and photodynamic therapy for eAMD), abbreviated anti-VEGF treatment intervals, switching anti-VEGF agents and topical medications. In this article, we review the effectiveness of these treatment options along with a discussion of the current research into future directions for anti-VEGF-resistant eyes.

Prompt Improvement of an Enlarging Pigment Epithelial Detachment Following Intravitreal Dexamethasone in Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Purpose:

This report discusses a case of neovascular age-related macular degeneration with mixed serous pigment epithelial detachment (PED) that was unresponsive to antivascular endothelial growth injections but responded to the addition of intravitreal steroid injection.

Methods:

We report a case.

Results:

A 75-year-old woman with neovascular age-related macular degeneration developed a mixed serous PED in her right eye. Three monthly aflibercept (Eylea, Regeneron) treatments led to resolution of associated intraretinal fluid; however, the mixed serous and fibrovascular PED significantly increased in size. The addition of intravitreal dexamethasone (Ozurdex, Allergan) to monthly aflibercept led to prompt flattening of the PED. Three months later, the PED recurred despite continued administration of monthly aflibercept.

Conclusions:

This case supports a growing body of research that PEDs unresponsive to antivascular endothelial growth injections may respond to intravitreal steroid injections.

Optic disk melanocytoma associated with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy lesions, after combination treatment of photodynamic therapy and intavitreal aflibercept (Eylea), a case report

Background

We report a rare case of a woman with optic disk melanocytoma (ODMC) in conjunction with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV). We also present, for the first time in literature, the clinical and morphological outcomes of the applied treatment, consisting of a session of photodynamic therapy (PDT) and three monthly intravitreal aflibercept injections.

Case presentation

An 83-year-old Greek woman, complaining for visual decline at her left eye, referred to our department and was diagnosed with ODMC associated with PCV. At presentation, best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 2/10, fundus examination revealed a pigmented lesion covering partially the optic nerve head and extending into the peripapillary choroid and retina, while hard exudates were observed temporal to it. Blocked hypofluorescence in the area covered by the lesion and diffuse hyperfluorescence at its temporal rim were shown by fluorescein angiography (FA). Indocyanine green angiography (ICGA) identified 3 hyperfluorescent polypoidal lesions arising from the choroidal vasculature. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) revealed subretinal fluid and retinal pigment epithelium detachment (RPE) at the region corresponding to polyps. The treatment included a PDT session combined with 3 monthly intravitreal aflibercept injections. Three months since the treatment initiation, new BCVA was 5/10, ICGA demonstrated total polyps occlusion, while OCT detected RPE detachment without subretinal fluid. Ten months later, ODMC was stable, BCVA rose to 7/10, no polyps were present, and total resolution of RPE detachment was achieved.

Conclusions

This is the first case report of PCV coexisting with ODMC, presenting both ICGA and OCT findings, and the applied treatment and its outcomes. Furthermore, we demonstrated that PDT combined with intravitreal aflibercept injections seems to be a promising treatment for PCV.