INFLUENCE OF VITREOMACULAR INTERFACE ON ANTI-VASCULAR ENDOTHELIAL GROWTH FACTOR THERAPY USING TREAT AND EXTEND TREATMENT PROTOCOL FOR AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION (VINTREX)

[Vitreous body in the treatment of exudative age-related macular degeneration : The medium is the message]

BACKGROUND

Intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is the standard treatment for exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The constitution of the vitreomacular interface varies greatly in cases of attached (with or without traction) or detached vitreous body, which can impact the effectiveness of the anti-VEGF treatment.

OBJECTIVE

Based on the current literature this article displays the current state of the science on whether the constitution of the vitreous body has an effect on the anti-VEGF treatment.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The published data extracted from current trials and post hoc analyses concerning this topic are presented and put into the clinical context.

RESULTS

The presence of a vitreomacular adhesion reduces the efficacy of anti-VEGF treatment of exudative AMD. Posterior vitreous body detachment represents a positive prognostic factor concerning the efficacy of anti-VEGF treatment but not necessarily the prognosis for visual acuity.

CONCLUSION

Patients with attached vitreous body need a more intensive treatment monitoring compared to patients with detached vitreous body. Therefore, in eyes with initial posterior vitreous body detachment receiving a treat and extend regimen, the interval between anti-VEGF injections can be extended to 4 instead of 2 weeks without endangering the success of treatment.

Automated Detection of Posterior Vitreous Detachment on OCT Using Computer Vision and Deep Learning Algorithms

Objective

To develop automated algorithms for the detection of posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) using OCT imaging.

Design

Evaluation of a diagnostic test or technology.

Subjects

Overall, 42 385 consecutive OCT images (865 volumetric OCT scans) obtained with Heidelberg Spectralis from 865 eyes from 464 patients at an academic retina clinic between October 2020 and December 2021 were retrospectively reviewed.

Methods

We developed a customized computer vision algorithm based on image filtering and edge detection to detect the posterior vitreous cortex for the determination of PVD status. A second deep learning (DL) image classification model based on convolutional neural networks and ResNet-50 architecture was also trained to identify PVD status from OCT images. The training dataset consisted of 674 OCT volume scans (33 026 OCT images), while the validation testing set consisted of 73 OCT volume scans (3577 OCT images). Overall, 118 OCT volume scans (5782 OCT images) were used as a separate external testing dataset.

Main Outcome Measures

Accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, F1-scores, and area under the receiver operator characteristic curves (AUROCs) were measured to assess the performance of the automated algorithms.

Results

Both the customized computer vision algorithm and DL model results were largely in agreement with the PVD status labeled by trained graders. The DL approach achieved an accuracy of 90.7% and an F1-score of 0.932 with a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 74.5% for PVD detection from an OCT volume scan. The AUROC was 89% at the image level and 96% at the volume level for the DL model. The customized computer vision algorithm attained an accuracy of 89.5% and an F1-score of 0.912 with a sensitivity of 91.9% and a specificity of 86.1% on the same task.

Conclusions

Both the computer vision algorithm and the DL model applied on OCT imaging enabled reliable detection of PVD status, demonstrating the potential for OCT-based automated PVD status classification to assist with vitreoretinal surgical planning.

Financial Disclosures

Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found after the references.

Effect of posterior vitreous detachment on treat-and-extend versus monthly ranibizumab for neovascular age-related macular degeneration

AIMS

To investigate the impact of posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) on the efficacy of treat-and-extend (T&E) ranibizumab in neovascular age-related macular degeneration.

METHODS

In a post hoc analysis of a randomised controlled clinical trial, spectral-domain optical coherence tomography images of treatment-naïve patients randomised to receive T&E (n=265) or monthly (n=264) ranibizumab for 12 months were included. Certified, masked graders diagnosed the presence or the absence of complete PVD. The main outcome measures were the mean change in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central retinal thickness (CRT) at month 12, the number of administered ranibizumab injections and the proportion of patients extended to more than 8 weeks.

RESULTS

At baseline, complete PVD was present in 51% and 56% of patients in the monthly and T&E arms, respectively. Mean change in BCVA at month 12 was +9.0 (PVD) vs +9.5 letters (no PVD, p=0.78) in monthly treated eyes, and +6.0 (PVD) vs +7.5 letters (no PVD, p=0.42) in T&E treated eyes. Conversely, mean change in CRT at month 12 was -174 (PVD) vs -173 µm (no PVD, p=0.98) in the monthly arm, and -175 (PVD) vs -164 µm (no PVD, p=0.58) in the T&E arm. In T&E treated patients, the median number of injections was eight vs nine (p=0.035). 71% of PVD eyes were extended successfully, compared with 55% of eyes without PVD (p=0.005).

CONCLUSION

PVD was not found to impact functional and anatomical outcomes of T&E ranibizumab therapy. However, patients without a complete PVD required more retreatments and were significantly less likely to be successfully extended.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

NCT01948830.

The role of posterior vitreous detachment on the efficacy of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor intravitreal injection for treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration

Purpose:

A prospective cohort study investigating the effect of posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) on the efficacy of intravitreal bevacizumab for exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD), in view of evidence that the vitreoretinal interface impacts the severity of the disease.

Methods:

Treatment-naïve AMD eyes with (+) complete PVD and without (−) PVD on ultrasonography received three monthly and then pro re nata bevacizumab injections. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) on Snellen charts and optical coherence tomography (OCT) findings were recorded for 12 months. Secondary analysis included PVD definition and group allocation according to OCT baseline scan.

Results:

Forty-one eyes of 34 patients met the inclusion criteria. At 12 months, median BCVA improved by 0.12 logMAR in the PVD+ group [interquartile range (IQR) −0.52, 0.03, P = 0.140] and remained the same in the PVD− group (IQR −0.12, 0.15, P = 0.643). Median central retinal thickness improved by 43.5 μm and 43 μm in the PVD+ (IQR −143, 3, P = 0.016) and PVD− group (IQR −90, −14, P = 0.008), respectively. All parameters were similar in the two groups at final follow up (P > 0.05). The secondary analysis included 32 eyes of 26 patients and showed no significant differences between the groups at the 12 months endpoint (P > 0.05).

Conclusion:

Our findings show no significant impact of PVD as assessed by ultrasound or by OCT on visual and anatomical outcomes in exudative AMD treated with bevacizumab.

Age-related macular degeneration: using morphological predictors to modify current treatment protocols

To assess predictors of treatment response in neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in an attempt to develop a patient-centric treatment algorithm. We conducted a systematic search using PubMed, EMBASE and Web of Science for prognostic indicators/predictive factors with the key words: 'age related macular degeneration', 'neovascular AMD', 'choroidal neovascular membrane (CNV)', 'anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF)', 'aflibercept', 'ranibizumab', 'bevacizumab', 'randomized clinical trials', 'post-hoc', 'prognostic', 'predictive', 'response' 'injection frequency, 'treat and extend (TAE), 'pro re nata (PRN)', 'bi-monthly' and 'quarterly'. We only included studies that had an adequate period of follow-up (>1 year), a single predefined treatment regimen with a predetermined re-injection criteria, an adequate number of patients, specific morphological [optical coherence tomography (OCT)] criteria that predicted final visual outcomes and injection frequency and did not include switching from one drug to the other. We were able to identify seven prospective studies and 16 retrospective studies meeting our inclusion criteria. There are several morphological and demographic prognostic indicators that can predict response to therapy in wet AMD. Smaller CNV size, subretinal fluid (SRF), retinal angiomatous proliferation (RAP) and response to therapy at 12 weeks (visual, angiographic or OCT) can all predict good visual outcomes in patients receiving anti-VEGF therapy. Patients with larger CNV, older age, pigment epithelial detachment (PED), intraretinal cysts (IRC) and vitreomacular adhesion (VMA) achieved less visual gains. Patients having VMA/VMT required more intensive treatment with increased treatment frequency. Patients with both posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) and SRF require infrequent injections. Patients with PED are prone to recurrences of fluid activity with a reduction in visual acuity (VA). A regimen that involves less intensive therapy and extended follow-up intervals (4 weekly) can be suggested for patients who show adequate visual response and have both SRF and PVD at baseline. In addition, patients with poor prognostic indicators such as IRC, VMA, large CNV size, older age and poor response at 12 weeks should be extended very cautiously with the possibility of fixed monthly/bimonthly (every 2 months) treatments if they fail to achieve dryness. Patients with PED at baseline should receive monthly/bimonthly injections of anti-VEGF therapy or can be extended very cautiously (two weekly intervals) using a TAE protocol.

ASSOCIATION BETWEEN THE VITREOMACULAR INTERFACE AND OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY CHARACTERISTICS IN WET AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION

PURPOSE

To study the effect of the vitreomacular interface on various wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) characteristics including the size and type of choroidal neovascularization (CNV), choroidal thickness, and activity of the CNV.

METHODS

This was a retrospective observational cross-sectional study. The study included 43 patients (51 eyes) with treatment-naive age-related macular degeneration. Twenty-six patients with wet AMD in one eye and dry AMD in the other eye were included in a paired-eye analysis. Patients underwent optical coherence tomography examination using Heidelberg Spectralis (spectral domain optical coherence tomography) at presentation to determine the type of CNV and the vitreomacular status. In addition, various parameters were measured including the choroidal thickness and horizontal width and vertical height measurements of the CNV.

RESULTS

There was no correlation between the height, width, activity or type of the CNV, and the presence or absence of vitreomacular adhesion. The mean choroidal thickness (using enhanced depth imaging) in cases with vitreomacular adhesion was 272.57 μm compared with 197.32 μm in cases with no vitreomacular adhesion, a statistically significant difference (P = 0.003). In the paired-eye study (21 patients), there was no significant difference between the eyes with wet AMD and dry AMD with regard to vitreomacular status or the choroidal thickness. In a subgroup analysis, patients with Type 1 CNV had a significantly higher percentage of vitreomacular adhesion compared with the other eye with dry AMD (P = 0.034).

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the vitreomacular interface does seem to be associated with an increased choroidal thickness in cases of wet AMD. Furthermore, the association between the vitreomacular interface and wet AMD is more significant for Type 1 CNV.

Influence of vitreomacular interface on anti-vascular endothelial growth factor treatment outcomes in neovascular age-related macular degeneration: A MOOSE-compliant meta-analysis

The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of vitreomacular interface configuration on treatment outcomes after intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapy for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD).The Pubmed, Embase, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases were searched to identify relevant prospective or retrospective studies that evaluate the influence of vitreomacular adhesion (VMA) or vitreomacular traction (VMT) on functional and anatomical outcomes in neovascular AMD patients treated with anti-VEGF agents. The outcome measures were the mean change in best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) from baseline, the mean change in central macular thickness (CMT) from baseline, and the mean injection numbers of anti-VEGF treatment from baseline.In total, 9 studies were selected for this meta-analysis, including 2156 eyes (404 eyes in the VMA/VMT group and 1752 eyes in the non-VMA/VMT group). In neovascular AMD patients treated with anti-VEGF agents, the VMA/VMT group was associated with poorer visual acuity gains and CMT reductions at 1 year (WMD [95% CI], -6.17 [-11.91, -0.43] early treatment diabetic retinopathy study (ETDRS) letters, P = .04; WMD [95% CI], 22.19 [2.01, 42.38] μm, P = .03, respectively). There was no significant difference between 2 groups in the mean BCVA change and the CMT change over 2 years (WMD [95% CI], -5.59 [-21.19, 10.01] ETDRS letters, P = .48; WMD [95% CI], 6.56 [-24.78, 37.90] μm, P = .68, respectively). There was no significant difference in the mean injection numbers between 2 groups at 1 year (WMD [95% CI], 0.36 [-0.19, 0.90], P = .21), whereas the VMA/VMT group had a significantly higher mean injection numbers over 2 years (WMD [95% CI], 1.14 [0.11, 2.16], P = .03).The limited evidence suggests that vitreomacular interface configuration have a significant influence on the visual acuity gain and CMT reduction at 1 year, injection numbers at 2 years in neovascular AMD patients treated with anti-VEGF agents. However, the results of this meta-analysis should be interpreted with caution because of the heterogeneity among study designs. Eyes with VMA/VMT on optical coherence tomography at baseline may require more intensive treatment with decreased response to anti-VEGF agents.

The effect of vitreomacular adhesion in exudative age-related macular degeneration on the results of ranibizumab intravitreal injection

PURPOSE

To investigate whether vitreomacular adhesion (VMA) affects the outcome of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy for the treatment of exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in Japanese patients.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

Of 88 Japanese AMD patients (28 men and 60 women, mean age: 72.7±7.5 years) who underwent intravitreal injection of ranibizumab for 3 years from 2010 to 2013, this study involved 12 eyes of 12 patients (10 men and two women) in whom VMA was observed based on optical coherence tomography (OCT) findings (VMA [+] group) and 17 eyes of 16 patients (seven men and nine women, control group) in whom no VMA was observed (VMA [-] group). In all enrolled patients, ranibizumab was administered monthly for 3 months, and then administered as needed (ie, pro re nata) when deterioration was observed. The two groups were then compared in regard to changes in visual acuity (VA) and the frequency of ranibizumab administration over a 1-year period.

RESULTS

No significant difference was found between the two groups in regard to the transformation of the mean logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution VA change after the first visit. Over the 1-year treatment, the mean frequency of ranibizumab administration for the VMA (+) group was 5.6±2.5 times and for the VMA (-) group was 3.8±1.1 times, thus illustrating a significant difference between the two groups (Mann-Whitney's U-test: P<0.05).

CONCLUSION

Our findings show that the mean frequency of ranibizumab administration for the VMA (+) group was higher than that in the VMA (-) group, thus indicating that VMA might possibly be involved in the progress of AMD pathology.

Ocriplasmin treatment for vitreomacular traction in real life: can the indication spectrum be expanded?

PURPOSE

To evaluate the efficacy of intravitreal ocriplasmin for the resolution of vitreomacular traction (VMT) with or without a full thickness macular hole (FTMH) in the clinical setting and to assess whether the indication spectrum of this treatment modality can be expanded beyond that of the MIVI-TRUST trials.

METHODS

The records of patients with VMT with or without FTMH, who were treated with intravitreal ocriplasmin were reviewed. Patients were divided in two groups. In the first group, VMT with or without FTMH was present without any other macular pathology. In the second group, VMT with or without FTMH occurred alongside of other macular disease including age-related macular degeneration, diabetic maculopathy and post-operative pseudophakic cystoid macular edema.

RESULTS

Release of the VMT was achieved in 12/20 patients (12/20 eyes) of the first group. 16 eyes in this group met 3 or more criteria known to be associated with favorable prognosis after intravitreal ocriplasmin treatment. No cases of release of the VMT were observed in the second group, which included 15 patients (15 eyes). Significant improvement of visual acuity and reduction of the central macular thickness was observed only in the subgroup of eyes which responded to treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

Concomitant macular pathology was a significant factor for treatment failure and we suggest that ocriplasmin should be regarded with caution in these cases. Careful patient selection for treatment with ocriplasmin using specific criteria in the clinical setting can provide superior results to those reported in the MIVI-TRUST trials.

The Role of Posterior Vitreous Detachment and Vitreomacular Adhesion in Patients With Age-Related Macular Degeneration

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) and vitreoretinal interface in patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This clinical trial included 206 eyes of 138 patients who presented to the authors' clinic between January 2012 and November 2014. Patients were divided into three groups: 98 eyes of 67 patients with exudative AMD, 55 eyes of 36 patients with nonexudative AMD, and 53 eyes of 35 patients having no vitreoretinal disease. All patients underwent complete ocular examination, including best-corrected visual acuity, Goldmann applanation tonometry, fundus photography, spectral-domain optical coherence tomography, and B-mode ultrasonography at 6 months and 12 months after the initial examination.

RESULTS

Total and partial PVD rates were significantly higher at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months in both exudative and nonexudative AMD groups when compared to the control group (Chi-square test, P = .006, P = .001, and P = .009, respectively). The prevalence of total PVD was significantly higher in nonexudative AMD, whereas partial PVD was higher in exudative AMD. The exudative AMD group reported significantly more VMA than the other two groups at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months (Chi-square test, P =.005, P = .003, and P = .019, respectively).

CONCLUSION

This study indicates that the incidence of vitreoretinal interface abnormalities such as partial PVD and vitreomacular adhesion were higher in the exudative AMD group. It can be concluded that abnormal adhesive and tractional forces due to PVD may play a role in the progression of AMD. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 2017;48:223-229.].

Vitreomacular adhesion or vitreomacular traction may affect antivascular endothelium growth factor treatment for neovascular age-related macular degeneration

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this review is to determine whether vitreomacular adhesion (VMA) or vitreomacular traction (VMT) has an influence on the outcomes of antivascular endothelium growth factor (anti-VEGF) treatment neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD).

METHODS

A systematic literature search was performed in Pubmed.gov, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang, SinoMed and ClinicalTrials.gov up to 30 June 2016 to identify eligible studies.

RESULTS

Nine studies and 2212 participants were finally identified. At month 6, the mean improvement in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and mean decline in central retinal thickness (CRT) of the VMA/VMT(+) group was less than that of the VMA/VMT(-) group (95% CI -3.05 to -0.96 letters, p=0.0002; 15.53 to 32.98 μm, p<0.00001; respectively); at month 12, there was a small or only marginally significant difference (-0.01 to 2.00 letters, p=0.05; 0.17 to 23.7 μm, p=0.05; respectively) between the groups. During the 12 months, however, the VMA/VMT(+) group required more injections ((0.25 to 0.95), p=0.0008).

CONCLUSIONS

In using anti-VEGF drugs to treat nAMD, clinicians should take into account the fact that concurrent VMA or VMT might antagonise the efficacy of anti-VEGF drugs during the early stage of treatment.

Evaluating the impact of vitreomacular adhesion on anti-VEGF therapy for retinal vein occlusion using machine learning

Vitreomacular adhesion (VMA) represents a prognostic biomarker in the management of exudative macular disease using anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) agents. However, manual evaluation of VMA in 3D optical coherence tomography (OCT) is laborious and data on its impact on therapy of retinal vein occlusion (RVO) are limited. The aim of this study was to (1) develop a fully automated segmentation algorithm for the posterior vitreous boundary and (2) to study the effect of VMA on anti-VEGF therapy for RVO. A combined machine learning/graph cut segmentation algorithm for the posterior vitreous boundary was designed and evaluated. 391 patients with central/branch RVO under standardized ranibizumab treatment for 6/12 months were included in a systematic post-hoc analysis. VMA (70%) was automatically differentiated from non-VMA (30%) using the developed method combined with unsupervised clustering. In this proof-of-principle study, eyes with VMA showed larger BCVA gains than non-VMA eyes (BRVO: 15 ± 12 vs. 11 ± 11 letters, p = 0.02; CRVO: 18 ± 14 vs. 9 ± 13 letters, p < 0.01) and received a similar number of retreatments. However, this association diminished after adjustment for baseline BCVA, also when using more fine-grained VMA classes. Our study illustrates that machine learning represents a promising path to assess imaging biomarkers in OCT.

The vitreomacular interface in different types of age-related macular degeneration

AIM

To evaluate the vitreomacular interface in cases with wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and to compare them to eyes with dry AMD and normal eyes.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional comparative study that included 87 eyes with wet AMD, 42 eyes with dry AMD and 40 eyes without AMD as a control group. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) examination was performed for all patients to assess the vitreomacular interface.

RESULTS

In the wet AMD group, 34.5% of cases had vitreomacular adhesion (VMA). Only 14.3% of dry AMD cases and 10% of control cases had VMA. There was a significant difference between the control group and the wet AMD group (P=0.004) as well as the dry and wet AMD group (P=0.017). There was also a significant difference between the incidence of VMA in patients with subretinal choroidal neovascularization (CNV, type 1) and intraretinal CNV (type 2 or type 3) (P=0.020).

CONCLUSION

There is an association between posterior vitreous attachment and AMD. There is also an increased incidence of VMA with intra-retinal CNV.

Vitreomacular Adhesion and the Risk of Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration

PURPOSE

To assess the prevalence of vitreomacular adhesion (VMA) in consecutive naïve eyes diagnosed with exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in comparison with eyes with nonexudative AMD and age-matched controls, and to evaluate prospectively the incidence of vitreomacular interface changes over time and their influence on choroidal neovascularization (CNV) development.

DESIGN

Retrospective cross-sectional analysis and longitudinal cohort study conducted at Sacrocuore Hospital, Negrar, Verona, Italy.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 1067 eyes examined at Sacrocuore Hospital between August 2008 and June 2015 met the inclusion criteria and were evaluated in this study.

METHODS

Eyes were classified into 3 groups: 403 eyes of 364 patients (mean [standard deviation; SD] age 77.8 [8.0] years) affected by exudative AMD; 350 eyes of 298 subjects (mean [SD] age 78.1 [8.2] years) with nonexudative AMD; and 314 eyes of 214 subjects (mean [SD] age 74.2 [8.2] years) with no signs of AMD enrolled as the control group. The vitreomacular interface status was evaluated by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) and was graded according to the OCT-based International Classification System developed by the International Vitreomacular Traction Study Group by 2 independent masked observers.

RESULTS

VMA was present in 101 (25.1%) eyes with exudative AMD, 84 (24.0%) eyes with nonexudative AMD, and 84 (26.8%) eyes with no signs of AMD (no statistical difference was found; P = 0.3384). Spontaneous release of VMA (RVMA) was found in 15 (15.3%) eyes with exudative AMD, 21 (28.0%) eyes with nonexudative AMD, and 10 (24.4%) eyes with no signs of AMD over a mean follow-up of 25.5, 25.9, and 24.1 months, respectively. The incidence of RVMA in exudative AMD eyes was significantly lower compared with nonexudative (P = 0.0207) and lower, but not statistically significant, with respect to eyes with no signs of AMD (P = 0.1013). In eyes with nonexudative AMD, de novo development of CNV occurred in 91 eyes (30.6%). There was no significant difference regarding the rate of CNV development in the presence or absence of VMA (P = 0.0966).

CONCLUSIONS

The present study found no significant difference in the prevalence of VMA in eyes affected by AMD compared with age-matched controls and no difference in the rate of de novo CNV development in eyes with or without VMA. Conversely, a lower incidence of RVMA over time was found in eyes affected by exudative AMD. The results of this study suggest that VMA might be a consequence rather than a causative factor in the development of CNV.

Vitreoretinal interface abnormalities in patients treatedwith ranibizumab for diabetic macular oedema

Purpose

Intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) agents are effective in the treatment of central involving diabetic macular oedema (DMO). Vitreoretinal interface abnormalities (VRIA) are common in patients with DMO, and the effect of these on the response to anti-VEGF treatment is unclear. Furthermore the effect of anti-VEGF agents on the VRIA itself is uncertain.

Method

Prospective study of consecutive patients treated with ranibizumab (RZB) for DMO as part of routine clinical care in one eye unit over a 1-year period. Visual acuity (Va), central retinal thickness (CRT) and injection frequency data was recorded on an electronic database. Treatment was initiated with four monthly RZB injections and then a monthly PRN regime. All patients underwent high-density spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SDOCT) at baseline and 12 months. The SDOCTs were graded by two observers masked to the outcome.

Results

One hundred and four eyes (77 patients) were included in the analysis. The mean age was 62 years, and 62% were male. The mean presenting vision was 62 letters and CRT 472 μm. Eighty eyes retained stable Va, and 17 had an improvement in Va. At baseline, 39 eyes had associated focal vitreomacular adhesion (VMA) and by 12 months this reduced to 30 (p = 0.04), with 12 releasing VMA and three developing it. Patients with VMA had significantly better final Va than those without VMA. Improvement in CRT was greatest in those where VMA released during the study. Forty-five eyes had some degree of foveal involving epiretinal membrane (ERM) at baseline, and 28 were considered to have clinically significant ERM. There was no clinically relevant change in ERM during the study. Patients with significant ERM at baseline had a lower final vision. Multivariate analysis showed that ERM and more severe retinopathy at baseline were predictive of less visual improvement (p < 0.01). Shorter intraretinal cyst length, ERM and the absence of VMA at baseline were predictive of a worsened anatomical response (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

VRIA are related to outcome in patients treated with RZB. ERM was associated with a worsened visual and anatomic response, and VMA with an improved anatomical response particularly when spontaneous VMA release occurred during treatment. The presence and severity of ERM was not affected by RZB treatment.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00417-016-3562-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Gas-mediated vitreomacular adhesion release with intravitral ranibizumab injections for exudative age-related macular degeneration

PURPOSE

To evaluate the efficiency of gas-assisted vitreomacular adhesion (VMA) release combined with intravitreal ranibizumab injections for exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD) patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This prospective, interventional case series included a total of 23 eyes of 22 patients. The eyes were treated with intravitreal injection of 0.3 mL of perfluoropropane (C3F8) gas and concomitant intravitreal ranibizumab injection to stimulate VMA release. After three initial loading injections, additional intravitreal ranibizumab injections were performed pro re nata. Over a 12-month period, monthly examinations were performed for best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA, logMAR; logarithm of the minimum angle resolution), optical coherence tomography, and dilated fundus examinations.

RESULTS

After gas injection, 22 eyes (95.7 %) showed complete VMA release at 1 week. Complete VMA was achieved in all eyes at 2 months after VMA release, without serious ocular adverse events except one patient who developed a retinal tear. Mean BCVA was 0.61 ± 0.37 logMAR (20/81 Snellen equivalents) at baseline and 0.46 ± 0.30 logMAR (20/57 Snellen equivalents) at 12 months (P = 0.135). Mean central macular thickness was 357.9 ± 128.6 μm at baseline and 245.6 ± 60.0 μm at 12 months (P = 0.188). Mean numbers of intravitreal ranibizumab injections were 4.8 ± 2.4 times during 12 months (4 to 8 injections).

CONCLUSION

Gas-assisted VMA release can be used as an efficient alternative for exudative AMD patients with obvious VMA.