Intravitreal bevacizumab for the treatment of retinal angiomatous proliferation

PURPOSE: To verify the potential efficacy of intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) injections for the treatment of retinal angiomatous proliferation (RAP). DESIGN: Retrospective interventional case series. METHODS: Four consecutive patients affected by RAP at different stages and refractory to photodynamic therapy (PDT). All patients underwent a complete ophthalmic examination including best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), fluorescein and indocyanine green angiographies, and optical coherence tomography(OCT) at baseline, and after one, three, six, nine, and 12 months. All patients received IVB injections (1.25 mg/0.05 ml). RESULTS: The best functional response has been achieved in patients with RAP at stages I and 2; whereas in stage 3, a detectable recovery of visual acuity was not observed. This improvement was stable over the follow,up period with a concomitant reduction of macular thickness. CONCLUSIONS: The use of IVB in patients affected by RAP seems to exert morphologic benefits at all RAP stages that does not always correspond a functional improvement.