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Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology
Published in: Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology 10/2019

01-10-2019 | Angiography | Retinal Disorders

Short-term effects of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor on peripapillary choroid and choriocapillaris in eyes with neovascular age-related macular degeneration

Authors: Boram Lee, Gyeongmin Yoo, Cheolmin Yun, Jaeryung Oh

Published in: Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology | Issue 10/2019

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Abstract

Purpose

To investigate the effects of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) on the peripapillary choroid and choriocapillaris in eyes with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD).

Methods

We included consecutive patients who underwent three monthly intravitreal injections of aflibercept or ranibizumab for nAMD, followed by swept-source optical-coherence tomography angiography (SS-OCTA). Peripapillary choroidal thickness (CT) and vascular density (VD) of the peripapillary choriocapillaris were measured in SS-OCT and OCTA images at baseline and at 1 month after three monthly injections of anti-VEGF.

Results

In 68 eyes of 68 patients with nAMD, peripapillary CT decreased from 124.5 ± 69.9 μm to 116.5 ± 68.2 μm (P = 0.003) after three monthly intravitreal injections of anti-VEGF. The mean vascular density (VD) of the peripapillary choriocapillaris also decreased from 73.99 ± 6.33 to 71.82 ± 6.51 (P < 0.001). The change in the peripapillary choriocapillaris VD was significantly affected by baseline peripapillary choriocapillaris VD, baseline peripapillary CT, and type of nAMD (P = 0.004, P = 0.028, P = 0.015, respectively). The baseline VD of the choriocapillaris was lower in non-responders (median, 70.63; 25–75%, 68.12–71.27) than in responders (median, 75.32; 25–75%, 70.09–79.96) (P = 0.032).

Conclusion

These results suggest that anti-VEGF injection influences the peripapillary choriocapillaris flow out of exudative lesions, and that its effects depend on the baseline status of the choroid and choriocapillaris.
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Metadata
Title
Short-term effects of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor on peripapillary choroid and choriocapillaris in eyes with neovascular age-related macular degeneration
Authors
Boram Lee
Gyeongmin Yoo
Cheolmin Yun
Jaeryung Oh
Publication date
01-10-2019
Publisher
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in
Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology / Issue 10/2019
Print ISSN: 0721-832X
Electronic ISSN: 1435-702X
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-019-04432-w

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