Impact of Polyp Regression on 2-year Outcomes of Intravitreal Aflibercept Injections: A Treat-and-Extend Regimen for Polypoidal Choroidal Vasculopathy

We conducted intravitreal aflibercept injections (IVAs) for 37 Japanese patients (28 males, 9 females, mean age 73.4 years) with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV), with a treat-and-extend regimen (TER). We evaluated the impact of polyp regression after a loading dose (2-mg IVA 1×/month for 3 months) on the patients' 2-year treatment outcomes. Thirty-seven eyes were treated with IVA by a TER for 2 years. We divided the patients into 2 groups based on their polyp status after the loading dose: polyp regression (PR+) (n=19) and no polyp regression (PR−) (n=18). We compared the groups’ best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), central retinal thickness (CRT), recurrence rate, total number of injections, and final treatment interval. Both the BCVA and CRT were significantly improved by the treatment in both groups, with no between-group difference in the amount of change (p=0.769). In the polyp regression (+) group, recurrence was significantly less common (p=0.03), the mean total number of injections was significantly lower (p=0.013), and the mean treatment interval was significantly longer (0.042). Regarding the 2-year outcomes for PCV, the eyes with post-loading-dose polyp regression demonstrated less frequent recurrence and required fewer numbers of injections compared to the eyes without polyp regression.