[Avoiding mistakes in anti-VEGF intravitreal injection therapy]. / Indikationen zur intravitrealen Injektionstherapie mit Anti-VEGF für Makulaerkrankungen ­ Fehler vermeiden.

Intravitreal injection (IVI) of drugs for treatment of various macular diseases is now one of the most frequently performed surgical procedures worldwide. As mostly chronic diseases are treated, the indications for treatment often mean a continuous treatment over years with a corresponding effort regarding spatial, personnel and financial resources. The diagnosis and indications for treatment are nowadays mainly made by spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). The ability to clinically assess and evaluate a fluorescence angiography is less practiced, although these are still a component of the indications for intravitreal injections. Therefore, it can happen that despite all diligence patients may receive anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) treatment, sometimes permanently, based on a misinterpretation of the macular diagnosis or disease activity and these indications, once made, are rarely questioned or retracted. Therefore, the aim of this manuscript is to point out possible and typical misinterpretations in the indications or continuation of IVI treatment with anti-VEGF by means of case studies and to sensitize for differential diagnoses.

Safety of various parameter sets with navigated microsecond pulsing laser in central serous chorioretinopathy.

BACKGROUND: Subthreshold microsecond pulsing laser is an increasingly common treatment approach for central serous chorioretinopathy. However, there is no literature available on the safety of microsecond laser using different fluence settings in this disease. While many publications can be obtained from conventional microsecond pulsing lasers, few parameter sets are published with the navigated microsecond pulsing laser. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the safety of different parameter sets in subthreshold microsecond pulsing laser treatments. METHODS: In this retrospective chart review, consecutive patients with central serous chorioretinopathy (> 3 months duration of symptoms) treated with navigated subthreshold microsecond pulsing laser and a follow up of at least five months after microsecond laser application were included. For each patient, the treatment parameters, plan layout, and adverse events related to laser were evaluated. Secondary outcomes included best-corrected visual acuity and anatomical improvements (central retinal thickness). RESULTS: One hundred and one eyes were included in the observation and followed for a mean of 10 months (range 5-36). Although a larger range of parameter sets and fluence settings have been used, no patient demonstrated adverse events from navigated microsecond pulsing laser. While 88% of the cases demonstrated stability, 13 cases lost five or more letters due to the persistence of the subretinal fluid. In mean, a best-corrected visual acuity improvement of 0.07logMar (± 0.2) was seen (p = 0.02). In 51% of the patients, a statistically significant improvement of the central retinal thickness was noted at the last follow-up with a mean thickness reduction of 70 µm (± 143) (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: In conclusion, none of the used parameter sets lead to tissue damage (when using a cautious titration) and, in summary, lead to an improvement in subretinal fluid and improvement in visual acuity. However, further prospective studies are needed to correctly identify the dependency of the treatment strategy on the outcome criteria.

Risk Factors for Severe Bleeding Complications in Vitreoretinal Surgery and the Role of Antiplatelet or Anticoagulant Agents.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the influences and risk factors for severe bleeding complications during vitreoretinal surgery and to investigate the role of antiplatelet and anticoagulant agents. DESIGN: Prospective trial. PARTICIPANTS: Patients undergoing vitreoretinal surgery. METHODS: The procedures included were pars plana vitrectomy and scleral buckling. We developed a uniform classification to grade the bleeding severity. Bleeding was graded on an ordinal scale ranging from 0 to 5. Immediately after surgery and 1 day later, the incidence and the severity of bleeding events was documented on a standardized form. A grade of 3 or more was defined as severe bleeding. Furthermore, the influence of known systemic disorders before surgery, the type of anesthesia, type of surgical procedure, intraoperative blood pressure, and the use or change of antiplatelet or anticoagulant agents on intraoperative bleeding was analyzed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Incidence and risk factors for severe intraoperative bleeding events. RESULTS: Data from 374 eyes undergoing vitreoretinal procedures were included in our study (mean age, 67.6 ± 12.9 years). A severe intraoperative bleeding event was observed in 15 eyes (4%). We found that concomitant diseases such as diabetes mellitus and carotid artery stenosis, the presence of diabetic retinopathy, younger age, and scleral buckling combined with a transscleral puncture were associated significantly with severe bleeding events. By contrast, use of antiplatelet or anticoagulant agents, or both, had no significant influence on severe intraoperative bleeding events. CONCLUSIONS: Although external manipulations during buckling surgery (e.g., drainage of subretinal fluid) and concomitant diseases such as diabetes mellitus and carotid artery stenosis influences the risk of severe intraoperative bleeding events, we did not detect an increased risk related to coexisting antiplatelet or anticoagulant medication use, or both.

[The modified treat and extend scheme with injection blocks in intravitreal injection treatment : Retrospective analysis from the routine clinical application]. / Das modifizierte Treat-and-Extend-Schema mit Injektionsblöcken in der IVOM-Therapie : Retrospektive Analyse aus der täglichen klinischen Anwendung.

BACKGROUND: Regular treatment with intravitreal operative medication injections (IVOM) and the associated frequent check-ups are a major challenge for many patients, which can lead to treatment discontinuation. The aim of the modified treat and extend (TAE) in blocks scheme is to achieve stable retinal and visual outcomes with as few control visits as possible and thus to minimize the burden for the individual patient. METHODS: This monocentric retrospective study examined the treatment courses of 387 patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration, diabetic macular edema and retinal vein occlusion, who were treated by three blocks of intravitreal injections in the TAE regimen. The primary endpoint was achieving an injection interval of 12 weeks. RESULTS: Intravitreal injections in TAE blocks significantly reduced retinal thickness and improved visual acuity. On average, a treatment interval of 2 months was achieved across the various indications. CONCLUSION: Intravitreal injections in TAE blocks of three injections can reduce patients' burden and lead to stable retinal and visual results.

Risk of perioperative bleeding complications in rhegmatogenous retinal detachment surgery: a retrospective single-center study.

PURPOSE: The goal of this study was to analyze the incidence of perioperative bleeding complications in rhegmatogenous retinal detachment. The handling of perioperative anticoagulation during vitreoretinal surgery remains controversial, since the risk of bleeding complications by its continuation has to be balanced against the risk of progression of retinal detachment and the risk of thromboembolic events when anticoagulation is interrupted. Nevertheless, only few studies have investigated the risk of perioperative bleeding complications in an emergency such as retinal detachment surgery. METHODS: We therefore examined the rate of all perioperative hemorrhages and separately the rate of only severe bleedings during vitrectomy, scleral buckling with or without drainage of subretinal fluid (SRD), or combined procedures due to retinal detachment in patients undergoing different types of perioperative anticoagulation including acetylsalicylic acetate (ASA), clopidogrel, heparin, low molecular weight heparin, and phenprocoumon. RESULTS: This retrospective single-center study included 893 patients with primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachment, n = 192 on anticoagulation and n = 701 serving as control without anticoagulation. Our analysis revealed no significantly increased rate of perioperative hemorrhages under anticoagulation with ASA 100 mg (all, 11.4%; severe, 5.0%) or phenprocoumon (all, 11.6%; severe, 2.3%) compared with controls (all, 13.0%; severe, 5.4%). However, frequencies of bleeding complications varied markedly regarding the type of surgical procedure: Scleral buckling plus SRD showed the highest rates of hemorrhages (all, 18.9%; severe, 9.1%) with significant difference (P < 0.001) compared with scleral buckling without SRD (all, 3.8%; severe, 0.6%) and vitrectomy (all, 9.2%; severe, 1.5%), respectively. Furthermore, subretinal bleeding was the most common type of perioperative hemorrhage. CONCLUSIONS: The data suggest not to stop ASA therapy prior to vitreoretinal surgery. Furthermore, we found no evidence of an increased risk for perioperative bleedings in patients under anticoagulation with vitamin-k antagonists with an INR within the sub-therapeutic range. SRD during scleral buckling procedure should be avoided as possible and regardless of any type of anticoagulation.

Bevacizumab versus bevacizumab and macular grid photocoagulation for macular edema in eyes with non-ischemic branch retinal vein occlusion: results from a prospective randomized study.

BACKGROUND: The objective of the study was the investigation of the effects of intravitreal bevacizumab (BEV) with or without additional macular grid laser photocoagulation (GRID) for macular edema (ME) secondary to branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO). METHODS: Prospective, randomized, monocentric study. Thirty-two patients were included. Initially, all eyes in both groups received three monthly injections of BEV, followed by additional injections if re-treatment criteria were met. In the BEV + GRID group, photocoagulation was performed 2 weeks after the first BEV injection and laser re-treatment was allowed. The follow-up was 38 weeks. Main outcome measures were best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central retinal thickness (CRT). Changes of foveal avascular zone (FAZ) and of retinal ischemia, as well as the number of injections were also evaluated. RESULTS: Sixteen eyes were randomized into each group. At baseline, BCVA was similar in both groups (BEV + GRID: 20/71; BEV: 20/60; P = 0.51). At 38 weeks, BCVA significantly improved in the two groups (BEV + GRID gain of 9 ± 11.2 letters and 16.25 ± 10.08 letters in the BEV) with no difference between them (P < 0.06). With regard to anatomical findings, initial CRT in BEV + GRID was 496.2 µm ± 138.4 µm and 538.9 µm ± 156.9 µm in BEV (P < 0.1697). At 38 weeks, CRT decreased in both groups significantly, 98.2 µm in the BEV + GRID (P = 0.02) and 141.7 µm in the BEV group (P = 0.01), with no significant difference between groups (P < 0.17). The area of FAZ a significantly increased in both groups (41% (P = 0.04) in BEV + GRID; 35% (P = 0.03) in BEV) during the study and the grade of peripheral ischemia remained unchanged. The mean number of injections was 3.8 (range 3-6) with no significant difference between groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our data demonstrate a beneficial effect of bevacizumab in ME in eyes with BRVO. A loading phase of three injections led to a significant improvement in vision in both groups, which persisted at week 38. Additional grid laser photocoagulation exhibited no beneficial functional or anatomical effect during the study, nor did it reduce the number of injections. The FAZ area increased significantly in both groups, but overall retinal ischemia did not. Further studies investigating more numerous eyes and longer follow-up are needed to confirm these data.