Effect of systemic bevacizumab therapy on retinal pigment epithelial detachment.

Background: To evaluate the effect of systemic bevacizumab (Avastin) therapy on pigment epithelial detachment (PED) secondary to age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and to identify prognostic factors for PED regression and improvement in best corrected visual acuity (BCVA).
Study Design: Prospective uncontrolled pilot study.
Methods: Nine patients (nine eyes) received three systemic bevacizumab treatments at 2 week intervals and were examined at baseline, weeks 1, 2, 4, 6 and month 3 by using optical coherence tomography (Stratus OC, Carl Zeiss Meditec, Dublin, California, USA). Changes in maximum PED height and greatest linear diameter (GLD) were planimetrically analysed by using Adobe Photoshop CS and correlated with retinal morphological changes and changes in BCVA.
Results: Systemic bevacizumab therapy was well tolerated. Mean maximum PED height decreased significantly by 21% as early as 1 week (-96 microm (SD 48.8), p<0.01). At 3 months follow-up, two PEDs resolved completely, mean maximum PED height decreased significantly by 39% (-179 microm (SD 178), p = 0.02) and mean PED GLD by 24% (-714 microm (SD 1010), p = 0.07). Mean BCVA improved significantly by week 2 (+8.7 letters (SD 5.7), p<0.01) and at 3 months with 12.7 letters (SD 6.4) (p<0.01).
Conclusion: In the examined nine patients, systemic bevacizumab therapy showed evidence for an effect on PED secondary to neovascular AMD in terms of a decrease in lesion height and diameter. A high PED at baseline was found to be a negative predictive factor for visual outcome.