Intravitreal bevacizumab (Avastin) for primary treatment of diabetic macular oedema.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

To evaluate the effectiveness of intravitreal bevacizumab injection as primary treatment of diabetic macular oedema.

MATERIAL AND METHODS:

Thirty eyes of 30 diabetic patients were treated with 2.5 mg of intravitreal bevacizumab injection as the primary therapy for diabetic macular oedema. The main outcome measures included best-corrected visual acuity, fundus fluorescein angiography, and macular oedema map values of Heidelberg retinal tomograph II (HRT II) before and after intravitreal injection.

RESULTS:

The visual acuity increased in 24 of 30 eyes (80%) during a mean follow-up time of 5.6 months. The mean baseline best-corrected LogMAR value for visual acuities of the patients before intravitreal bevacizumab injection was 1.09+/-0.23. After treatment, it was 0.90+/-0.17 at the 1-month, 0.81+/-0.24, at 3-month, and 0.77+/-0.26 at the last visit examinations and the differences were significant when compared with baseline values (for each, P<0.001). The mean oedema map values significantly decreased by 33.3% at the last visit examination when compared with preinjection values (P<0.001). Mild anterior chamber inflammation was observed in four eyes (13.3%), which resolved in a week with topical corticosteroid. No other injection- or drug-related complications were observed.

CONCLUSION:

Intravitreal bevacizumab application provides significant improvement in visual acuity of diabetic patients and clinical course of macular oedema, and may therefore be a promising approach in the primary treatment of diabetic macular oedema.

• Authors: A Ozkiriş
• Journal: Eye (London, England) (Eye (Lond)) Vol. 23 Issue 3 Pg. 616-20 (Mar 2009) ISSN: 1476-5454 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 18437176 (Publication Type: Clinical Trial, Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Angiogenesis Inhibitors
• Antibodies, Monoclonal
• Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized
• VEGFA protein, human
• Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A
• Bevacizumab

Topics

• Adult
• Aged
• Angiogenesis Inhibitors (administration & dosage)
• Antibodies, Monoclonal (administration & dosage)
• Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized
• Bevacizumab
• Diabetic Retinopathy (drug therapy, physiopathology)
• Female
• Fluorescein Angiography
• Humans
• Injections, Intraocular
• Intraocular Pressure (drug effects)
• Macular Edema (drug therapy, physiopathology)
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Tomography (methods)
• Treatment Outcome
• Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A (antagonists & inhibitors)
• Visual Acuity (drug effects)
• Vitreous Body