Comparison of the Changes in Subfoveal Choroidal Thickness after Intravitreal Ranibizumab and Aflibercept Injections in Retinal Angiomatous Proliferation

Abstract

Purpose: To compare changes in choroidal thickness after intravitreal ranibizumab and aflibercept injections in patients with retinal angiomatous proliferation (RAP). Methods: This study involved 39 eyes (21 ranimizumab-treated eyes, 18 aflibercept-treated eyes) of 36 patients who received either intravitreal ranibizumab or aflibercept injection for the first time and followed up for more than 6 months. Subfoveal choroidal thickness was measured before intravitreal injection and at 3 and 6 months after intravitreal injection to determine any significant change in subfoveal chorioidal thickness over time in each treatment group. The relevant changes at each time point were measured to compare differences between the treatment groups. Central macular thickness and the best corrected visual acuity were measured and compared. Results: Choroidal thickness at 3 and 6 months after injection was significantly lower than that before injection in both the ranibizumab and aflibercept groups (p < 0.001, in all). The changes in choroidal thickness were 17.7 ± 10.9 μm and 13.0 ± 11.0 μm at 3 and 6 months after ranibizumab injection, respectively, and 24.5 ± 12.5 μm and 18.3 ± 11. 1 μm at 3 and 6 months after aflibercept injection, respectively. These results show that although no significant differences were observed according to injection type at 3 months, the aflibercept group exhibited a significantly greater decrease at 6 months (p = 0.094, 0.043). The best corrected visual acuity in the two groups was significantly improved for up to 6 months after the injection compared with before the injection, and the central macular thickness also significantly decreased. There was no significant difference in visual improvement and central macular thickness decrease between the two groups. Conclusions: The results confirmed that both of these two drugs significantly decreased the subfoveal choroidal thickness in patients with RAP for up to 6 months after the injection, and the intravitreal injection of aflibercept tended to show a greater decrease in subfoveal choroidal thickness than the intravitreal injection of ranibizumab.