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Bimonthly injections of ranibizumab for age-related macular degeneration

  • Retinal Disorders
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose

To evaluate the efficacy of bimonthly intravitreal injections of ranibizumab for age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) in a pilot study.

Methods

This study was a prospective, interventional case series. Thirty eyes of 30 patients received prospectively at least three bimonthly intravitreal injections of ranibizumab (0.5 mg/0.05 ml) without loading doses. The best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and the central retinal subfield thickness (CRST) were measured before and monthly after the injections.

Results

Twenty-eight patients received the three planned injections; one patient refused the third injection, one patient did not receive the third injection because blood pressure was raised, and one patient received a rescue injection at month 5 because of increased retinal thickness. The mean logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) BCVA was 0.44 ± 0.37 before treatment and significantly improved to 0.25 ± 0.34 at month 6 (p < 0.001). The mean CRST was 335 ± 85.9 μm before treatment and decreased significantly to 261 ± 78.1 μm at month 6 (p < 0.001). Nine of 30 patients received six planned injections for 12 months. The mean logMAR BCVA was 0.38 ± 0.39 before treatment and significantly improved to 0.18 ± 0.33 at month 12 (p = 0.005). The mean CRST was 360 ± 110.8 μm before treatment and decreased significantly to 249 ± 57.0 μm at month 12 (p = 0.025).

Conclusions

Bimonthly injections of ranibizumab may be effective for treating AMD and PCV.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported in part by a grant from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan (#24592668) and a grant from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. The authors have no proprietary interests in any aspect of this study. The funding organizations had no role in the design or conduct of this study. The Institutional Review Board of Shiga University of Medical Science Hospital approved this study, which is registered at http://www.umin.ac.jp (No.UMIN000005691). All patients provided written informed consent before participation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ophthalmology, Shiga University of Medical Science, Seta Tsukinowacho, Otsu, Shiga, 520-2192, Japan

    Tomoko Sawada, Masashi Kakinoki, Xiying Wang, Hajime Kawamura, Yoshitsugu Saishin & Masahito Ohji

  2. Key Laboratory of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, People’s Republic of China

    Xiying Wang

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  1. Tomoko Sawada
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  2. Masashi Kakinoki
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  3. Xiying Wang
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  4. Hajime Kawamura
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  5. Yoshitsugu Saishin
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  6. Masahito Ohji
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tomoko Sawada.

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Sawada, T., Kakinoki, M., Wang, X. et al. Bimonthly injections of ranibizumab for age-related macular degeneration. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 252, 1545–1551 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-014-2612-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-014-2612-8

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