Objective To observe the inhibitory effects and characteristics of intravitreal injection with bevacizumab on laser induced choroidal neovascularization (CNV).Methods Twelve male brown norway(BN)rats were divided into the bevacizumab group and control group with six rats in each group. One eye of rats were received a series of 8 diode laser esions around optic disc to induce CNV,then the rats in bevacizumab group and control group underwent intravitreal injection with 2 mu;l bevacizumab and ringer's lactate.On days 7,14,and 21,the morphology and leakage of CNV were observed by fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA) and indocyanine green angiography (ICGA).On day 21 after photocoagulation,the photocoagulated eyes were enucleated and processed for histopathologic examination, including hematoxylin and eosin (Hamp;E) staining and immunohistochemistry staining for vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF).Results On day 7 after photocoagulation,ICGA showed that CNV developed in the bevacizumab group and the control group. FFA showed that leakage intensity in the bevacizumab group was significantly lower than that in the control group,but the bevacizumab group gradually increased over time. The mean thickness of CNV significantly decreased in the bevacizumab group.The CNV in the bevacizumab group were negative for VEGF according to the result of immmuohistochemistry staining.Conclusions Early intravitreal injection with 2 mu;l bevacizumab can reduce the thickness of CNV and inhibit the leakage of CNV. However, bevacizumab could neither block the formation of CNV, nor suppress the permeability permanently. Combined other therapies with bevacizumab may be more potential to treat CNV effectively.
ObjectiveTo observe the effects of repeated intravitreal injections of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) drugs on vitreous macular interface (VMI) in patients with exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD).MethodsRetrospective study. Thirty-four exudative AMD patients who treated with intravitreal anti-VEGF drugs were included in this study. There were 26 males and 8 females. The age ranged from 50 to 80 years, with the average of (62.8±8.35) years. The eyes with at least 6 treatments during the 1-year follow-up were taken as the study eyes, and the eyes with no anti-VEGF drug treatment were the control eyes. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) examination was used to observe the VMI status of both eyes before treatment. Vitreous macular adhesion (VMA), macular epiretinal membrane (MEM), and complete vitreous detachment (C-PVD) were defined as abnormalities in VMI. The VMA was classified as focal (≤1500 μm) and broad (>1500 μm) depending on the diameter of the vitreous and macular adhesions on the OCT images. Before treatment, there were 12 eyes with abnormal VMI in study eyes, including 8 eyes with broad VMA, 3 eyes with focal VMA, and 1 eye with MEM; 12 eyes with abnormal VMI in control eyes: broad VMA in 7 eyes, focal VMA in 2 eyes, C-PVD in 2 eyes, and MEM in 1 eye. The average follow-up time after treatment was 16.4 months. During the follow-up period, OCT was performed monthly in a follow-up mode. Comparing the changes on VMI between before and after treatment in both eyes of patients, respectively. The chi-square test was used to compare the difference on VMI. Because the number of samples was <40, Fisher's exact test was used for the analysis.ResultsAt the final follow-up, 12 eyes with abnormal VMI in the study eyes, including 5 eyes with broad VMA, 2 eyes with focal VMA, 3 eyes with C-PVD, and 2 eyes with MEM. There were 6 eyes altered comparing with baseline. In the control eyes, there were 13 eyes with abnormal VMI, including 5 eyes with broad VMA, 7 eyes with C-PVD, and 1 eye with MEM. A total of 6 eyes changed on VMI comparing with baseline. At the final follow-up, there was no significant difference on VMI changes between the study eyes and its corresponding control eyes (P=0.053). In all eyes, a total of 4 eyes changed from focal VMA to C-PVD at the final follow-up, accounting for 80.0% of the total focal VMA; 3 eyes changed from broad VMA to C-PVD, accounting for 21.4% of the total broad VMA.ConclusionsRepeated anti-VEGF treatment has little effect on VMI. Regardless of anti-VEGF therapy, eyes with focal VMA appears to be more prone to C-PVD than the broad one.
Objective To explore the inhibitory effects of r-k4k5 on retinal neovascularization. Methods Eighty-eight one-week-old C57BL/6J mice were put into the environment with 75% oxygen for 5 days to establish models of vascular proliferation retinopathy. One eye of each mouse received an intravitreal injection of 500 ng of r-k4k5 (large-dosage group) and of 250 ng of r-k4k5(small-dosage group), and the same volume of BSS was injected into the other eye of the mice both in these two groups as a control. The ADPase histochemical staining was used for retinal flatmount to observe changes of retinal vessels. The inhibitory effects of r-k4k5 on retinal neovascularization were evaluated by counting the endotheliocyte nuclei of new vessels extending from retina to vitreous in the tissue-slice. Results Regular distributions and reduced density of retinal blood vessels in eyes in the treatment group were found in retinal flatmount. The number of the endotheliocyte nuclei of new vessels extending from retina to vitreous was less in the eyes in the treatment group than which in control group (Plt;0.001). The nuclei of new blood vessels in the large-dosage group were less than which in small-dosage group (Plt;0.001). No histologic evidence of retinal toxicity or inflammatory response was found in the tissue-slice after the injection of r-k4k5. Conclusions Retinal neovascularization can be inhibited by intravitreal injection of r-k4k5,which suggests that intravitreal injection of r-k4k5 may have potential therapeutic benifits in retinal vascular disease. (Chin J Ocul Fundus Dis,2003,19:121-124)
ObjectiveTo conduct a systematic review of clinical manifestations, treatment, and associated genotyping of Sorsby fundus dystrophy (SFD). MethodsAn evidence-based medicine study. Sorsby fundus dystrophy, anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy, choroidal neovascularization, macular neovascularization, and TIMP3 gene were hereby used as search terms. Relevant literature was searched in CNKI, Wanfang, PubMed of the National Library of Medicine, and Embase of the Netherlands. The time span for literature searching ranged from the establishment of the database to April 2022, and two reviewers independently screened the literature and extracted relevant data, with duplicates, incomplete or irrelevant articles, and review articles excluded. SPSS26.0 software was used for analysis. The 95% confidence interval (CI) was used as an estimate of the effect size. The clinical manifestations, treatment and related pathogenic genes of SFD were counted and recorded. ResultsAccording to the search strategy, 157 pieces of literature were initially retrieved, and 49 eyes of 35 patients from 16 articles were finally included for analysis, among which, 17 patients were male, 13 patients were female, and 5 patients were unknown gender; 16 involved left eyes, 19 involved right eyes, and 14 involved unidentified eyes. The age of the disease onset was 42.33±2.19 years (28-59) years old. There were 19 cases with a positive family history, and the total positive rate was 54.3% (19/35, 95%CI 36%-72%). There were 31 cases of gene mutation, all of which were TIMP3. In the included literature, there were 2 and 2 cases with no mutation and unreported loci, respectively, with a total positive rate of 93.9% (31/33, 95%CI 85%-100%). Among the 31 cases with gene mutation, 22, 4, 1, and 4 cases were in the UK, Germany, Switzerland, and Chinese, respectively, and the detection rates were all 100% (22/22, 4/4, 1/1, 4/4). The clinical manifestations of SFD were mainly yellow-white deposits in the fundus and choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in the macula, thereby leading to a decrease in central vision, followed by the expansion of the deposits to the periphery, the further development of CNV, and a severe decline in vision caused by peripheral retinal and choroidal atrophy. The treatment methods for SFD include photodymatic therapy, anti-VEGF drugs, glucocorticoids, vitamin A, etc., among which, anti-VEGF drugs were considered the first-line treatment, and the combined treatment was provided with a better prognosis than a single treatment. ConclusionsVariations in the TIMP3 gene cause SFD, the fundus characteristic manifestations of which, are yellowish-white deposits and CNV, which develop from the center to the periphery, thus resulting in progressive decline of visual acuity. Current studies have shown that combined therapy presents a better prognosis than monotherapy.
ObjectiveTo evaluate the macular visual function of patients with myopic choroidal neovascularization (MCNV) before and after intravitreal injection of conbercept.MethodsA prospective, uncontrolled and non-randomized study. From April 2017 to April 2018, 21 eyes of 21 patients diagnosed as MCNV in Shanxi Eye Hospital and treated with intravitreal injection of conbercept were included in this study. There were 9 males (9 eyes, 42.86%) and 12 females (12 eyes, 57.14%), with the mean age of 35.1±13.2 years. The mean diopter was ?11.30±2.35 D and the mean axial length was 28.93±5.68 mm. All patients were treated with intravitreal injection of conbercept 0.05 ml (1+PRN). Regular follow-up was performed before and after treatment, and BCVA and MAIA micro-field examination were performed at each follow-up. BCVA, macular integrity index (MI), mean sensitivity (MS) and fixation status changes before and after treatment were comparatively analyzed. The fixation status was divided into three types: stable fixation, relatively unstable fixation, and unstable fixation. The paired-sample t-test was used to compare BCVA, MI and MS before and after treatment. The x2 test was used to compare the fixation status before and after treatment.ResultsDuring the observation period, the average number of injections was 3.5. The logMAR BCVA of the eyes before treatment and at 1, 3, and 6 months after treatment were 0.87±0.32, 0.68±0.23, 0.52±0.17, and 0.61±0.57, respectively; MI were 89.38±21.34, 88.87±17.91, 70.59±30.02, and 86.76±15.09, respectively; MS were 15.32±7.19, 21.35±8.89, 23.98±11.12, 22.32±9.04 dB, respectively. Compared with before treatment, BCVA (t=15.32, 18.65, 17.38; P<0.01) and MS (t=4.08, 3.50, 4.26; P<0.01) were significantly increased in the eyes 1, 3, and 6 months after treatment. There was no significant difference in the MI of the eyes before treatment and at 1, 3, and 6 months after treatment (t=0.60, 2.42, 2.58; P>0.05). Before treatment and at 1, 3, and 6 months after treatment, the proportion of stable fixation were 28.57%, 38.10%, 38.10%, 33.33%;the proportion of relatively unstable fixation were 47.62%, 47.62%, 52.38%, 57.14% and the proportion of unstable fixation were 23.81%, 14.28%, 9.52%, 9.52%, respectively. The proportion of stable fixation and relatively unstable fixation at 1, 3 and 6 months after treatment were higher than that before treatment, but the difference was not statistically significant (x2=1.82, 1.24, 1.69; P>0.05).ConclusionBCVA and MS are significantly increased in patients with MCNV after intravitreal injection of conbercept.
Intravitreal injection of anti-VEGF drugs for the treatment of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a hot topic of research, and it can be used to treat the ROP (Ⅰzone). The current anti-VEGF drugs include bevacizumab, ranibizumab, aflibercept and conbercept, etc. However, in recent years, several studies have confirmed that anti-VEGF drugs have an increased recurrence rate and a longer recurrence time than conventional laser photocoagulation therapy. The follow-up period should be extended and repeated injections may be required. Due to the lack of large-scale prospective clinical studies, the recurrence rate, time window of recurrence, risk factors and treatment methods of various anti-VEGF drugs for ROP are still unclear. Anti-VEGF drugs in the treatment of ROP needs to accumulate more evidence-based medical evidence.
ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of intravitreous injection of conbercept for macular edema secondary to retina1vein occlusion(RVO) during 6 months period. MethodsA retrospective clinical study. 34 patients (34 eyes) were included in this study,who were diagnosed with macular edema due to retinal vein occlusion by ophthalmologic examination, fundus photography, optical coherence tomography (OCT), fundus fluorescein angiography and other methods. The best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was examined using the international standard visual acuity chart, and the results were converted to the logMAR visual acuity. The average logMAR BCVA was 0.90±0.68, and the mean macular central retinal thickness (CMT) was (672.27±227.51) μm before treatment. All subjects received intravitreal injection of 0.5 mg conbercept (0.05 ml) at the first visit. Injections were repeated based on the visual acuity changes and the OCT findings. 34 eyes received 69 times of injection, the average number of injections was 2.03±1.03. BCVA, OCT were examined before and after treatment using the same method. BCVA and CMT changes, drugs and treatments associated cardiac and cerebral vascular accident, intraocular pressure elevation, retinal tears, retinal detachment, endophthalmitis and other complications after treatment were observed. Linear correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between prognosis BCVA and baseline BCVA, correlation between prognosis BCVA and baseline CMT, and also correlation between BCVA and CMT at different time points before and after treatment. ResultsAt 1 week and 1, 2,3, 6 months after treatment, the average logMAR BCVA was 0.65±0.61, 0.56±0.61, 0.46±0.55, 0.56±0.71, 0.44±0.48 respectively. During 1, 2, 3, 6 months after treatment, the mean logMAR BCVA were improved with statistically significant difference (Z=34.029, 47.294, 41.338, 43.603;P < 0.05), while 1 week after treatment showed no obvious improvement (Z=21.941,P > 0.05). At 1 week and 1, 2, 3, 6 months after treatment, the average CMT was (285.89±96.69), (256.65±143.39), (278.68±156.92), (290.11±188.17), (217.15±48.04) μm respectively. At 1 week and 1,2,3,6 months after treatment, the mean CMT were all decreased with statistically significant difference (Z=68.500, 98.735, 93.235, 91.132, 109.162; P < 0.05). There was a positive correlation between the prognosis visual acuity and preoperative visual acuity (r=0.682,P < 0.05). However,there was no correlation between the prognosis vision and the degree of macular edema before treatment (r=0.078,P > 0.05). Before and 3, 6 months after treatment, BCVA was negatively correlated with CMT (r=0.491, 0.416, 0.386; P < 0.05), while there was no correlation in other time points (r=0.145, 0.217, 0.177; P > 0.05). Systemic adverse reactions and persistent intraocular pressure elevation, iatrogenic cataract, retinal detachment, retinal tear, endophthalmitis and ocular complications were never found in the follow-up period. ConclusionIntravitreal conbercept is a safe and effective approach for RVO,which can significantly improve visual acuity and reduce CMT.
Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is one of the leading causes of visual impairment in children. As understanding on the pathogenesis of ROP accumulated, anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) drugs and their application have changed the treatment mode. Anti-VEGF therapy, with convenient operation and clear efficacy, has become an important treatment method for ROP. However, due to the dysfunction of organs in children with ROP, anti-VEGF drugs can enter blood circulation after intravitreal injection and then lead to temporarily reduction of the VEGF level in the blood, which may theoretically cause adverse effects on the development of all organs (especially the brain) in children with ROP. Therefore, it's necessary to pay attention to the effect of anti-VEGF drugs on neurodevelopment in children with ROP, strictly grasp the indications, and standardize its clinical application, so as to continuously improve the overall prognosis of ROP.
Diabetic macular edema (DME) is one of the common causes of visual impairment. Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has become the preferred therapy for DME because of significant visual improvement. Early and intensive anti-VEGF therapy combined with other individualized treatments are currently the main strategy for DME treatment. Considering the complexity of DME and limitations of anti-VEGF therapy, there are still many problems and difficulties in the treatment of DME. Optimizing treatment strategies, strengthening management of the clinical course and developing new drugs, could improve the efficacy and maintain the improvement of visual acuity and visual performance.
Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) drugs, including monoclonal antibodies (such as bevacizumab and ranibizumab) and fusion protein agents (such as aflibercept and conbercept) have been clinically proven to be effective to treat exudative age-related macular degeneration AMD). However, there are still some patients do not or poorly respond to the initial anti-VEGF agents, usually after several injections, ophthalmologists may switch to another anti-VEGF agent. In general, switching of anti-VEGF agent is considered for recurrent AMD, AMD resistance to anti-VEGF treatments. Current switching protocols include the replacement of monoclonal antibodies with fusion protein agents, the replacement of fusion protein agents with monoclonal antibodies, the substitution of one monoclonal antibody with another one, and the replacement of monoclonal antibodies with fusion protein agents and switching back with monoclonal antibodies. However, current researches on the switching of anti-VEGF drugs for exudative AMD are mostly retrospective and single-arm studies, and there are some differences in the results of different studies. Therefore, for patients with exudative AMD who do not respond to or respond poorly to anti-VEGF drugs, the efficacy of switching of anti-VEGF drugs is uncertain right now. Switching of anti-VEGF agents may improve the retinal anatomical outcome of the affected eye but may not necessarily improve visual acuity. Thus it is an option in the clinical practice to treat AMD. To determine the benefits of above mentioned switching regimens, randomized controlled clinical trials with large sample number and long study period will be needed.