Long-Term Outcomes of Switching from Fixed-Dose to As-Needed Regimen for Treating Submacular Hemorrhage Secondary to Polypoidal Choroidal Vasculopathy

Abstract

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate outcomes in patients with submacular hemorrhage secondary to polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) after switching treatment from a fixed-dose to an as-needed regimen. Methods: This retrospective study included 19 patients with submacular hemorrhage secondary to PCV who were treated with fixed-dose intravitreal aflibercept during the first 56 weeks. After 56 weeks, the treatment regimen was switched to an as-needed regimen. The incidence and timing of lesion reactivation during the as-needed phase were evaluated. The best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at baseline (beginning of the regimen) and the final follow-up were compared. Multivariate analysis was performed to determine the factors associated with lesion reactivation. Results: During the mean follow-up period of 27 ± 7.3 months, lesion reactivation was noted in 10 patients (52.6%; mean time period: 12.2 ± 9.1 months) in the as-needed phase. Reactivations were treated with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) injections (mean, 4.1 ± 2.6). The mean logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) BCVA was 0.26 ± 0.34 at baseline and 0.31 ± 0.38 at final follow-up (p = 0.212). Deterioration of ≥0.2 logMAR BCVA was noted in two patients (10.5%). In multivariate analysis, large lesion size was closely associated with a high risk of lesion reactivation (p = 0.009). Conclusion: Visual acuity was relatively stable after switching from a fixed-dose to an as-needed regimen, with no definite visual deterioration in the majority of patients. We conclude that patients with large lesions should be carefully monitored when switching to an as-needed regimen.