Bevacizumab (avastin) therapy for idiopathic macular telangiectasia type II

To determine if inhibition of vascular endothelial growth factor-A affects visual acuity, fluorescein angiographic, and optical coherence tomography outcomes in patients with perifoveal telangiectasia (PT), also referred to as macular telangiectasia, Type 2 and previously known as juxtafoveolar retinal telangiectasis group 2A.

A retrospective review of patients with PT treated with intravitreal bevacizumab was performed at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. Best-corrected visual acuity, fluorescein angiography, and optical coherence tomography measurements were performed.

Nine eyes of eight patients were identified. Five of these eyes had proliferative PT characterized by subretinal neovascularization involving the macula. After treatment, follow-up ranged from 4 to 27 months. The mean best-corrected visual acuity remained stable for the four eyes with nonproliferative PT. In the five eyes with proliferative PT, best-corrected visual acuity was unchanged or improved after treatment. All eyes demonstrated decreased intraretinal leakage on fluorescein angiography after an injection of bevacizumab, and eyes with proliferative PT showed decreased growth and leakage of the subretinal neovascularization. The mean decrease in optical coherence tomography central retinal thickness was less than 30 mum.

In nonproliferative PT, intravitreal bevacizumab decreases fluorescein angiographic leakage in PT but has no short-term effect on visual acuity or optical coherence tomography appearance. In proliferative PT, intravitreal bevacizumab arrests the leakage and growth of subretinal neovascularization with the possibility of visual acuity improvement.