ANGIOGRAPHIC FINDINGS OF RANIBIZUMAB-RESISTANT POLYPOIDAL CHOROIDAL VASCULOPATHY AFTER SWITCHING TO A TREAT-AND-EXTEND REGIMEN WITH INTRAVITREAL AFLIBERCEPT.

Objective: The aim of this study was to study the angiopathic findings of ranibizumab-resistant polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy after switching to a treat-and-extend regimen with intravitreal aflibercept.

Methods: The authors retrospectively reviewed 17 eyes of 17 Japanese patients with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (10 men and 7 women, age: 73.8 ± 7.4 years) who were treated with intravitreal aflibercept (2 mg/0.05 mL) injections from February 2013 to August 2014 at Tokyo University Hospital. All patients had switched to aflibercept because their polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy had been refractory to ranibizumab.

Results: The mean logMAR best-corrected visual acuity at baseline and after 12 months of therapy was 0.30 ± 0.29 (Snellen equivalent: 20/40) and 0.17 ± 0.26 (20/30) (paired t-test P < 0.001). Visual acuity remained stable in 5 cases (29%), deteriorated in 3 (18%), and improved in 9 (53%). Branching vascular networks persisted in all 17 eyes but shrank in 15 (88%). The mean lesion diameter was 3329 ± 1261 μm at baseline and 3180 ± 1247 μm after 12 months (P = 0.0002).

Conclusions: A treat-and-extend regimen with intravitreal aflibercept for ranibizumab-resistant patients resulted in branching vascular network shrinkage over a 1-year period.