Abstract:AIM: To evaluate the real-life clinical outcomes of intravitreal injection of conbercept combined rescue therapy for polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV). METHODS: This was an open label, single center, and interventional study. All enrolled patients were treated initially with three consecutive monthly intravitreal conbercept injections (0.5 mg). Additional conbercept injections were administered upon substantial polyp regression with improved visual acuity (VA). Eyes with partial or no polyp regression and poor VA were rescue treated with photodynamic therapy (PDT) for subfoveal polyps or thermal laser photocoagulation for extrafoveal polyps. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), central foveal thickness (CFT) and polyp regression were observed as primary outcomes. Side effects were also collected during the follow-up period. RESULTS: A total of 56 eyes (56 patients) with PCV were included. BCVA increased significantly from the baseline of 43.52±24.21 letters to 55.88±21.94 letters (P<0.001) at 12mo, while CFT decreased significantly from 457.41±207.86 μm to 247.98±127.08 μm (P<0.001). All patients showed polyp regression. Twenty-three eyes achieved complete polyp regression after the three initial injections, which increased to 44 eyes at 12mo. Seventeen eyes underwent rescue therapy, among which 2 eyes treated with PDT and 15 eyes treated with laser photocoagulation. A mean of 4.30±1.43 injections were given per eye. No intraocular inflammation, retinal or vitreous hemorrhage, or systemic complication occurred. CONCLUSION: Conbercept is an effective and safe option for the treatment of PCV in Chinese population. The treatment regimen of three initial conbercept injections followed by additional injections or rescue therapies is efficacious for treating PCV.
