Comparison of the Efficacy of Three Loading Doses of Intravitreal Injection of Conbercept with Injection Combined with PDT for the Treatment of PCV

Abstract

Purpose

To compare the efficacy between initial 3-monthly intravitreal conbercept monotherapy and combination intravitreal conbercept with photodynamic therapy (PDT) for polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV).

Methods

This is a retrospective, comparative study which involved 65 PCV eyes of 65 patients. According to the therapeutic regimen, the PCV patients were divided into two groups: 32 eyes with naive PCV received a PDT after the first intravitreal injection of conbercept (IVC) followed by pro re nata (prn) retreatment (combination group), and 33 eyes with naïve PCV received 3-monthly IVC monotherapy followed by prn regimen (IVC monotherapy group). All patients completed at least 6 months of monthly follow-up.

Results

At month 6, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) improved significantly ( P < 0.05) in both groups compared with that at baseline; the mean changes of BCVA between the IVC monotherapy group and combination group have no significant difference (−0.22 ± 0.22 vs. −0.17 ± 0.22 LogMAR, P = 0.38). The central retinal thickness (CRT) decreased significantly in the two groups ( P < 0.05), with no difference between the two groups ( P = 0.24). The complete regression rate of polyps was 58.6% (17 out of 29 eyes) in the IVC monotherapy group and 80.65% (25 out of 31 eyes) in the combination group, respectively ( P = 0.09, χ-squared test). The combination group required significantly fewer injections than the IVC monotherapy group (3.09 ± 0.89 vs. 3.67 ± 0.74, P = 0.006).

Conclusion

Conbercept monotherapy significantly improved visual acuity and effectively regressed polyps during 6-month follow-up time in the treatment of PCV.