INJECTION FREQUENCY OF AFLIBERCEPT VERSUS RANIBIZUMAB IN A TREAT-AND-EXTEND REGIMEN FOR CENTRAL RETINAL VEIN...

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Retinal Diseases
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Macular edema secondary to central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) is a leading cause of vision loss.
• Intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) agents are standard treatments.
• Optimizing treatment regimens, such as injection frequency, is crucial for patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the injection frequency of aflibercept and ranibizumab in patients with CRVO-induced macular edema.
• To evaluate the efficacy of a treat-and-extend regimen for these treatments.

Main Methods:

• A prospective, randomized study included treatment-naive patients with CRVO and macular edema.
• Participants received either aflibercept (n=22) or ranibizumab (n=23) via intravitreal injection.
• A treat-and-extend regimen was employed for 18 months, with initial loading doses followed by interval adjustments based on macular edema recurrence.

Main Results:

• Aflibercept group required significantly fewer injections (mean 10.9) compared to ranibizumab (mean 14.4).
• The mean treatment interval was significantly longer with aflibercept (10.0 weeks) versus ranibizumab (6.6 weeks).
• No significant differences in visual acuity or central retinal thickness were observed between the groups.

Conclusions:

• Aflibercept, when used with a treat-and-extend regimen, necessitates fewer intravitreal injections than ranibizumab for CRVO-related macular edema.
• This reduced injection frequency may lessen the treatment burden and monitoring requirements for patients.