Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography Analysis of Fibrotic Lesions in Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

PURPOSE: To describe the spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) features of fibrotic lesions associated with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) and to outline the progression pathways from initial macular choroidal neovascular lesions (CNVs) to fibrosis. METHODS: Patients with nAMD were retrospectively included when macular subretinal fibrosis was present. Fibrosis was categorized using spectral-domain OCT with respect to retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) in 836 spectral-domain OCT slices from 44 eyes of 39 patients. In addition, in 47 distinct eyes, 4181 spectral-domain OCT slices were retrospectively reviewed to longitudinally assess progression from the initial lesion to the final fibrosis. RESULTS: Cross-sectional analysis classified fibrosis on spectral-domain OCT slices, as type A if located underneath the RPE, as type B if located above the RPE, and as type C if the remaining RPE was undistinguishable. The longitudinal analysis series revealed 3 progression pathways from the original CNV: 1) progression to type A, followed by RPE erosion and subretinal hyperreflective material, then type B and type C fibroglial lesion (FGL; 17/47 eyes); 2) progression to type B then type C FGL (17/47 eyes); and 3) persistence of type A with development of a flat, fibroatrophic lesion (13/47 eyes). Subretinal hyperreflective material, macular hemorrhage, or RPE tear occurred in 14 of 47, 13 of 47, and 10 of 47 eyes, respectively. CONCLUSION: This spectral-domain OCT analysis identified various patterns of macular fibrosis in eyes with nAMD. Three pathways of progression to fibrosis were described including the well-established pathway of type 2 CNV progression to FGL and the progression of type 1 fibrovascular CNV to FGL or fibroatrophic lesion.

Extended Injection Intervals after Switching from Ranibizumab to Aflibercept in Macular Edema due to Central Retinal Vein Occlusion.

PURPOSE: To assess treatment interval extension after switching from ranibizumab to aflibercept intravitreal injections in macular edema (ME) due to central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) with an insufficient response or frequent recurrences to initial treatment. METHODS: CRVO eyes treated with ranibizumab injections on a treat-and-extend (TAE) basis with an insufficient response or frequent recurrences were switched to aflibercept. Primary endpoint was the change in injection intervals before and after the switch. RESULTS: Eleven eyes were included in this retrospective bicentric study. Before switching, patients received a mean number of 15.3 ranibizumab injections (range, 6-34) during a mean follow-up of 23.4 months (range, 6-57). After switching to aflibercept, patients received a mean number of 12.4 injections (range, 6-20) during a mean follow-up of 25.5 months (range, 16-38). Treatment interval could be extended from 6.1 (range, 4-8) to 11 weeks (range, 8-16) (p=0.001) corresponding to a mean extension of injection interval of +4.9 weeks. CONCLUSION: In case of insufficient response or frequent recurrences of ME due to CRVO in patients treated with ranibizumab on a TAE basis, switching to aflibercept could allow extending treatment intervals, which could reduce the injection burden for these patients.

Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography to Distinguish Changes of Choroidal Neovascularization after Anti-VEGF Therapy: Monthly Loading Dose versus Pro Re Nata Regimen.

PURPOSE: To compare the qualitative and quantitative choroidal neovascularization (CNV) changes after antivascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapy in treatment-naïve and treated eyes with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). METHODS: Consecutive patients with neovascular AMD underwent multimodal imaging, including OCTA (AngioPlex, CIRRUS HD-OCT model 5000; Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc., Dublin, OH) at baseline and at three monthly follow-up visits. Treatment-naive AMD patients undergoing anti-VEGF loading phase were included in group A, while treated patients were included in group B. Qualitative and quantitative OCTA analyses were performed on outer retina to choriocapillaris (ORCC) slab. CNV size was measured using a free image analysis software (ImageJ, open-source imaging processing software, 2.0.0). RESULTS: Twenty-five eyes of 25 patients were enrolled in our study (mean age 78.32 ± 6.8 years): 13 treatment-naïve eyes in group A and 12 treated eyes in group B. While qualitative analysis revealed no significant differences from baseline to follow-up in the two groups, quantitative analysis showed in group A a significant decrease in lesion area (P = 0.023); in group B, no significant change in the lesion area was observed during anti-VEGF therapy (P = 0.93). CONCLUSION: Treatment-naïve and treated eyes with CNV secondary to neovascular AMD respond differently to anti-VEGF therapy. This should be taken into account when using OCTA for CNV follow-up or planning therapeutic strategies.