Comparison of intravitreal ranibizumab, aflibercept and bevacizumab therapies in diabetic macular edema with serous retinal detachment

Purpose To compare the effects of ranibizumab, aflibercept and bevacizumab treatments in treatment-naive diabetic macular edema(DME) patients with serous retinal detachment(SRD). Material and methods This is a retrospective, comparative study. In a sample of 86 eyes of 86 untreated DME patients with accompanying SRD, 23 patients were treated with ranibizumab (IVR), 28 patients with aflibercept (IVA), and 35 patients with bevacizumab (IVB). All were injected intravitreally once a month for a 3-month loading dose. Subsequently, all participants were evaluated every months and if neccessary they received additional intravitreal treatments.Mean changes in best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), central retinal thickness (CRT), and SRD height over the 6-months study period were compared. Results At baseline, the groups did not differ in mean BCVA,CRT and SRD height. During the first 3 months, in IVA group the mean decrease in CRT and SRD height were significantly more than in the other two groups (p < 0.05 for all). However, these differences disappeared at 6 months.The number of injections was similar between the groups during the study period. Conclusion In patients with DME accompanied by SRD, IVA is a more advantageous option in terms of reduction in CRT and SRD height from baseline to 3 months. In the 6-month period of treatment, IVR, IVA and IVB therapies areanatomically and functionally similar and significant effective modalities.

Automated summary

This comparative study evaluated the effects of ranibizumab, aflibercept, and bevacizumab treatments in treatment-naive diabetic macular edema (DME) patients with serous retinal detachment (SRD). The results showed that aflibercept treatment resulted in significantly greater reduction in central retinal thickness (CRT) and SRD height compared to the other two treatments at 3 months. However, there were no significant differences between the three treatments at 6 months.