Decreased Periodicity of Reactivation Interval in Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration in Patients with a Late First Reactivation After Initial Treatment

Abstract

Purpose:

To evaluate the periodicity of the intervals of lesion reactivation in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Methods:

This retrospective study included 139 eyes diagnosed with treatment-naive neovascular AMD and treated with antivascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy. Patients were initially treated with 3 loading anti-VEGF injections using either ranibizumab or aflibercept. Additional treatment was administered only when lesion reactivation was noted. The difference between the time intervals to the first and the second reactivations was evaluated. The included eyes were divided into 2 groups according to the time interval to the first reactivation: the early reactivation group (≤6 months, n = 86) and the late reactivation group (>6 months, n = 53). The association between the time intervals to the first and the second reactivations was evaluated within each group.

Results:

The mean follow-up period was 52.7 ± 8.9 months. The first reactivation was noted at mean 9.4 ± 10.4 months after the loading injections. The second reactivation was noted at mean 6.2 ± 4.9 months after the treatment for the first reactivation. The time interval to the second reactivation was significantly shorter compared with the first reactivation (P = 0.018). The association between the time interval to the first and the second reactivations was significant only in the early reactivation group (P = 0.002).

Conclusions:

A short first reactivation interval suggests that there is a high likelihood that the second reactivation will also be short. However, a long first reactivation interval does not suggest that the second reactivation interval will be similarly long.