Short-term anatomic effect of ranibizumab for polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy

PURPOSE. To assess the short-term anatomic effect of intravitreal ranibizumab for polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy. METHODS. All patients had undergone a full ophthalmic examination. A monthly injection of ranibizumab was performed for 3 months. Indocyanine angiography (ICG) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) were performed 1 month after the third-month ranibizumab injection. RESULTS. Polyps disappeared on ICG angiography in 9 out of 13 lesions (69.2%). Retinal thickness diminished significantly on OCT (p=0.02). In our series we noticed a significant reduction of the percentage of patients presenting with subretinal fluid (p=0.02) and pigment epithelium detachment between the initial and final visits (0.016). In addition, we noticed that BCVA increased significantly (p=0.02). CONCLUSIONS. Monthly intravitreal injection of ranibizumab for 3 months has a short-term beneficial anatomic effect. (Eur J Ophthalmol 2008; 18: 645-8)