Published in:
01-11-2016 | Retinal Disorders
Twelve-month outcomes of treatment using ranibizumab or aflibercept for neovascular age-related macular degeneration: a comparative study
Published in: Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology | Issue 11/2016
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Purpose
To compare the 12-month treatment outcome of ranibizumab with that of aflibercept in cases of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Methods
This retrospective single-institution study included patients who had been diagnosed with treatment-naïve neovascular AMD and treated using either ranibizumab (ranibizumab group, n = 30) or aflibercept (aflibercept group, n = 21) monotherapy over a 12-month follow-up period. Patients initially received three monthly injections, and were re-treated when neovascularization recurred. The best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at diagnosis and at 12 months, as well as the number of injections, were compared between the two groups.
Results
In the ranibizumab group, the mean logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution BCVA values at diagnosis and at 12 months were 0.86 ± 0.45 and 0.72 ± 0.56, respectively. The equivalent values were 0.73 ± 0.37 and 0.58 ± 0.41 in the aflibercept group. The mean number of injections was 4.5 ± 1.3 in the ranibizumab group and 4.3 ± 0.9 in the aflibercept group. There was no difference in BCVA between the two groups at either diagnosis (P = 0.560) or 12 months (P = 0.702). There was also no difference between the two groups in the number of injections (P = 0.847).
Conclusion
The 12-month treatment outcome of intravitreal ranibizumab was similar to that of intravitreal aflibercept, with a comparable injection frequency. Further prospective studies with a more controlled design are needed to confirm our findings.