scholarly journals Anti-VEGF for the Management of Diabetic Macular Edema

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco Rosa Stefanini ◽  
Emmerson Badaró ◽  
Paulo Falabella ◽  
Michael Koss ◽  
Michel Eid Farah ◽  
...  

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is an important cause of vision loss around the world, being the leading cause in the population between 20 and 60 years old. Among patients with DR, diabetic macular edema (DME) is the most frequent cause of vision impairment and represents a significant public health issue. Macular photocoagulation has been the standard treatment for this condition reducing the risk of moderate visual loss by approximately 50%. The role of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in DR and DME pathogenesis has been demonstrated in recent studies. This review addresses and summarizes data from the clinical trials that investigated anti-VEGF for the management of DME and evaluates their impact on clinical practice. The literature searches were conducted between August and October 2013 in PubMed and Cochrane Library with no date restrictions and went through the most relevant studies onpegaptanib,ranibizumab,bevacizumab, andafliberceptfor the management of DME. The efficacy and safety of intravitreal anti-VEGF as therapy for DME have recently been proved by various clinical trials providing significantly positive visual and anatomical results. Regarding clinical practice, those outcomes have placed intravitreal injection of anti-VEGF as an option that must be considered for the treatment of DME.

2020 ◽  
pp. 247412642095306
Author(s):  
John D. Pitcher ◽  
Andrew A. Moshfeghi ◽  
Genevieve Lucas ◽  
Nick Boucher ◽  
Hadi Moini ◽  
...  

Purpose: We assessed the effect of treatment frequency with intravitreal antivascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) agents on visual acuity (VA) in diabetic macular edema (DME). Methods: This retrospective analysis assessed electronic medical records of eyes newly diagnosed with DME and treated with an anti-VEGF agent at US clinics using the Vestrum Health (Naperville, Illinois) treatment and outcomes database. Eyes were divided into 2 injection frequency subcohorts (≤ 6 vs > 6 injections/y); treatment frequency and change in mean VA (Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study letters) were evaluated. Results: Among 155 240 eyes assessed, 3028 met inclusion criteria for analysis in year 1 and 1292 in year 2. During year 1 of treatment, 57% (n = 1725) received > 6 injections; most continued to receive the same injection frequency during year 2. Mean VA gain from baseline at year 1 was lower in the ≤ 6 than in the > 6 injections/year subcohort (3.7 vs 8.0 letters, respectively; P < .001). Mean VA change from the end of year 1 to year 2 for eyes receiving ≤ 6 injections in year 1 generally remained unchanged, irrespective of year 2 dosing frequency. In eyes that received > 6 injections in year 1, mean VA loss was significantly greater for eyes receiving less-frequent dosing in year 2 than in those maintained on > 6 injections. Conclusions: More than 50% of eyes with DME in routine clinical practice that completed at least 1 year of follow-up received > 6 injections of an anti-VEGF agent during the first year, resulting in better VA gains than eyes treated less frequently.


2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 188-198
Author(s):  
Ayman G. Elnahry ◽  
Ahmed A. Abdel-Kader ◽  
Ahmed E. Habib ◽  
Gehad A. Elnahry ◽  
Karim A. Raafat ◽  
...  

Background: Diabetic macular edema (DME) is a major cause of vision loss in diabetics worldwide. Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) agents have become the mainstay of treatment of vision loss due to DME. Long-term effects of these agents on the macular perfusion (MP) are a current concern. Objective: To review recently published studies that evaluated the effect of intravitreal injection of anti-VEGF agents on the MP of diabetics with DME. Methods: Different databases were searched including PubMed, Medline, Ovid, Science Direct, and Google Scholar for relevant studies published between 2010 and 2019. All studies found were compared regarding methodology and results and included in this review. Some studies relating to retinal perfusion in general and not strictly MP were also included for comprehensiveness. Results: Several studies utilizing different anti-VEGF agents were identified. All the large randomized controlled clinical trials identified utilized primarily fluorescein angiography (FA) and human graders and found generally no worsening of MP associated with anti-VEGF agents use in diabetic patients with DME. Some of these studies, however, depended on post-hoc analysis. Several more recent, but smaller case series, have utilized the relatively new and non-invasive optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) in this evaluation and found more conflicting results. Conclusion: The large clinical trials recently performed depended mainly on FA in the analysis of MP changes following injections and generally found no worsening of MP. More recently, smaller case series have utilized OCTA in this analysis, yielding more conflicting results. Large randomized controlled trials using OCTA are thus needed.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ada Admin ◽  
Marta Vila Gonzalez ◽  
Magdalini Eleftheriadou ◽  
Sophia Kelaini ◽  
Hojjat Naderi-Meshkin ◽  
...  

Diabetic macular edema (DME) remains a leading cause of vision loss worldwide. DME is commonly treated with intravitreal injections of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) neutralising antibodies. Anti-VEGFs are effective but not all patients fully respond to them. Given their potential side effects, inconvenience and high cost, identifying who may not respond appropriately to anti-VEGFs and why is essential. <p>Herein, we determine first the response to anti-VEGFs in a cohort of DME patients using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography scans obtained throughout the first year of treatment. We found that in 28% of eyes full clearance of fluid occurred at any time during the first year (“full responders”); in 66% fluid cleared only partly (“partial responders”); in 6% fluid remained unchanged (“non-responders”). To understand this differential response, we generated induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) from “full responders” and “non-responders” and from diabetic subjects with no DME and age-matched non-diabetic volunteers and differentiated them into endothelial cells (iPS-ECs). Monolayers of iPS-ECs derived from diabetics showed marked and prolonged increased permeability upon exposure to VEGF when compared with non-diabetic controls; the response was significantly exaggerated in iPS-ECs from “non-responders” when compared with “full responders”. Moreover, phosphorylation of key cellular proteins in response to VEGF, including VEGFR2, and gene expression profiles, such as Neuronal Pentraxin 2 (NPTX2) expression, differed between “full responders” and “non-responders”. </p> <p>In the current study, iPS were used to predict patient response to anti-VEGF and identify key mechanisms underpinning the differential outcomes observed in the clinic. This approach has identified NPTX2 as playing a significant role in patient-linked responses and has potential as a new therapeutic target for DME. </p>


2017 ◽  
Vol Volume 11 ◽  
pp. 393-401 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Blinder ◽  
Pravin Dugel ◽  
Sanford Chen ◽  
J Michael Jumper ◽  
John Walt ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (24) ◽  
pp. 5738
Author(s):  
Yoshihiro Takamura ◽  
Teruyo Kida ◽  
Hidetaka Noma ◽  
Makoto Inoue ◽  
Shigeo Yoshida ◽  
...  

Background: Pro re nata (PRN) regimen using anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) agent is popular for the treatment of diabetic macular edema (DME). We investigated the influence of waiting time (WT) and interval between the date of recurrence of edema and re-injection on treatment efficacy. Methods: This retrospective study conducted at 7 sites in Japan enrolled patients who received intravitreal injection of ranibizumab (IVR) and aflibercept (IVA) in 1+PRN regimen. Enrolled patients were divided into 2 groups: prompt group (less than 1 week) and deferred group (3 weeks or more). Central retinal thickness (CRT) and best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) were measured every month for 1 year. Results: CRT in the deferred group was significantly higher than that in the prompt group at 2, 5, 6, 7, and 12 months (p < 0.05). BCVA in the prompt group was significantly better than that in the deferred group at 7, 10, and 12 months (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The prompt group was superior in anatomical and functional improvement of DME in anti-VEGF therapy than the deferred group. Our data suggests that shorter WT is recommended for better visual prognosis in the treatment for DME.


2018 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 2
Author(s):  
Cindy Ung ◽  
Kareem Moussa ◽  
Yoshihiro Yonekawa

Diabetic macular edema (DME) is the main cause of visual impairment in diabetic patients. Intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy is considered the first-line treatment option in the management of DME with corticosteroids used as second-line therapy. The DRCR.net Protocol U study was a Phase II trial that sought to compare the combination of a steroid and anti-VEGF therapy to anti-VEGF monotherapy regarding visual acuity and anatomic outcomes. This review highlights the strengths, weaknesses, and clinical implications of this study.


2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (5) ◽  
pp. 298-304 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason M. Young ◽  
Karen M. Wai ◽  
Fabiana Q. Silva ◽  
Felipe F. Conti ◽  
Sunil K. Srivastava ◽  
...  

Purpose: To evaluate long-term visual and anatomical outcomes of anti–vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy for macular edema (ME) secondary to retinal vein occlusion (RVO) in routine clinical practice. Methods: Patients with ME secondary to hemi-RVO (HRVO), central RVO (CRVO), or branch RVO (BRVO) after initiating anti-VEGF therapy were followed for at least 36 months. Main outcomes were change in best visual acuity (BVA) and mean absolute change in central subfield thickness (CST) at 12, 24, 36, and 48 months. Results: Patients with BRVO showed significant increases in BVA that were maintained after 12, 24, 36, and 48 months (+11.03, +12.06, +10.71, and +9.26 letters, respectively; P < .05). CST significantly decreased after 12, 24, 36, and 48 months (−83.51, −67.93, −97.52, −127.85 µm, respectively; P < .05). In patients with CRVO/HRVO, significant improvements in BVA were seen at 12 and 24 months (+9.39 and +8.54 letters, respectively; P = .023). At 36 and 48 months, the visual gain was not significant (+2.64 and +3.42 letters, respectively; P > .05). For CST changes, there were significant decreases at 12, 24, and 36 months (−146.23, −149.54, and −166.44 µm, respectively; P < .05). At 48 months (−97.66 µm, P = .130), changes in CST were not significant. Conclusions: In routine clinical practice, visual and anatomical benefits of anti-VEGF agents in patients with BRVO were sustained at 36 and 48 months. For patients with CRVO/HRVO, anatomical improvements were maintained for 36, but not 48 months, while visual improvements were no longer maintained by 36 months.


2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessie-Anne Kenworthy ◽  
Justin Davis ◽  
Varun Chandra ◽  
J. Ben Clark ◽  
Michael Desmond

Intravitreal antivascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapy is a standard of care for a variety of ophthalmological conditions. While the systemic use of these agents in oncology is well known to induce a number of renal-related adverse effects such as worsening hypertension and proteinuria, the ability of local intravitreal injections to cause similar side effects has traditionally been thought to be unlikely given the lower doses used. In this case report, we describe an 88-year-old woman who developed a sudden worsening of her previously stable proteinuria with the use of bilateral intravitreal bevacizumab injections for diabetic macular edema, with improvement in her proteinuria upon reduction to unilateral therapy. This case report adds to the growing body of literature that suggests that local anti-VEGF therapy may have the potential to induce adverse systemic effects, and clinicians who care for these patients should remain vigilant to the development of potential renal-related toxicity.


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