subfoveal choroidal thickness before and after intravitreal Ranibizumab injection in patients with choroidal neovascularization

Abstract

Background : Ranibizumab is an antivascular endothelial growth factor agent made for intraocular use as a smaller antibody fragment that can penetrate the retina. Intravitreal ranibizumab therapy has been accepted as a predominant treatment for choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in recent years. Objective : The aim was to assess the potential adverse effects of ranibizumab on the choroid, variations in choroidal thickness were measured before and after ranibizumab treatment for CNV. Patients and methods : This prospective research study was carried out at the Ophthalmology Department of Al-Azhar University Hospitals on 20 patients from June 2021 till December 2021 to monitor changes of choroidal thickness before and after ranibizumab treatment for CNV to assess possible adverse effects of ranibizumab on the choroid. Results : There were highly statistically signi fi cant variations between before injection and after injection regarding choroidal thickness. The mean ± SD choroidal thickness before injection was 356.85 ± 127.10 SD, with range from 154.0 to 632.0, and the mean ± SD choroidal thickness after injection was 235.40 ± 75.60 SD, with range from 127.0 to 400.0. There was a highly statistically signi fi cant variation between before injection and after injection regarding central macular thickness (CMT). The mean ± SD CMT before injection was 302.80 ± 84.51, with range from 168 to 490, and the mean ± SD CMT after injection was 250.25 ± 53.44, with range from 150 to 331. Conclusion : Patients with CNV had a subfoveal choroidal thickness that was noticeably thicker in the affected eyes than in nonaffected contralateral eyes. SubFoveal Choroidal Thickness (SFCT) declined substantially after intravitreal ranibizumab administration, and this was associated with marginal reduction in retinal foveal thickness