Twenty-Four-Month Results of Intravitreal Bevacizumab in Macular Edema Secondary to Branch Retinal Vein Occlusion.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to evaluate the long-term efficacy of intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) in macular edema (ME) due to branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) in a real clinical practice setting at a tertiary referral center.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis of a final total number of 35 eyes of 35 patients with a 24-month follow-up was performed.

RESULTS

At 24 months, mean best-corrected visual acuity improved by 0.09 LogMAR units from baseline (95% CI: -0.03-0.24, p = 0.0674). The mean CFT decreased by 75 microns (95% CI: 27-123, p = 0.0026). The median number of injections was 6 (IQR: 3-9). Macular edema showed complete resolution in 12 eyes (34.3%), responded partially in six eyes (17%), recurred in eight eyes (23%), and remained persistent in nine eyes (25.7%, three eyes at six months, one eye at 12 months, three eyes at 18 months and two eyes at 24 months).

CONCLUSION

Our study shows that treatment with IVB in patients with ME due to BRVO during a period of 24 months provided complete resolution of the ME in more than one-third of patients. In one-third of the cases, ME resolved partially or recurred and in less than one-third of patients ME remained persistent. Visual acuity increased significantly in 23% of patients and remained stable in the majority of patients. However, a median number of six injections was necessary to maintain a lasting beneficial effect. Further long-term prospective studies are required comparing intravitreal bevacizumab with other treatment modalities.