Clinical Study
Eye (2008) 22, 1504–1507; doi:10.1038/eye.2008.145; published online 6 June 2008
Can the risk of retinal pigment epithelium tears after bevacizumab treatment be predicted? An optical coherence tomography study
M Leitritz1, F Gelisken1, W Inhoffen1, M Voelker1 and F Ziemssen1
1Department of Ophthalmology, University Eye Hospital, Tuebingen, Germany
Correspondence: F Ziemssen, Department of Ophthalmology, University Eye Hospital, Schleichstr. 12, Tuebingen D-72076, Germany. Tel: 0049 707129 84761; Fax: +0049 707129 3730. E-mail: Focke.Ziemssen@med.uni-tuebingen.de
Received 4 November 2007; Accepted 15 April 2008; Published online 6 June 2008.
Abstract
Background
Retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) tears after bevacizumab treatment for neovascular age-related macular degeneration accompanied by a pigment epithelial detachment (PED) might be caused by stretching forces on the already weakened RPE. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether simple measurements of optical coherence tomography (OCT) can predict the individual risk of an RPE tear in preoperative candidates.
Methods
A retrospective chart review study of 393 consecutive patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration evaluated OCT images (Stratus-OCT Zeiss, Jena, Germany). The height of the PED, the central retinal thickness, and the maximum retinal thickness were determined by two independent observers and retrospectively analysed.
Results
Fifteen patients with an RPE tear had a significant higher PED than the remaining study population. In contrast, no correlation was seen with the central retinal thickness. In a linear regression model, the probability of an RPE tear exponentially increased in dependence of the extent of PED.
Conclusion
The risk of an RPE tear can be estimated by simple measurement of the height of the PED on OCT.
Keywords:
Bevazicumab, anti-VEGF, pigment epithelial tear, age-related macular degeneration, pigment epithelium detachment, optical coherence tomography
