Why carry out this study?

Intravitreal injections of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) represent the main treatment of exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

This anti-VEGF therapy could cause changes in retinal and choroidal thickness and in their vascular networks.

The aim of this study was to evaluate (1) retinal and choriocapillaris vessel density in the macular region using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) and (2) central macular thickness (CMT) and subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) using structural OCT, at baseline and after three once-monthly intravitreal  injections of bevacizumab (loading phase) in these patients.

What was learned from the study?

No significant differences in vessel density were present after the loading phase compared to baseline, while the CMT and SFCT did significantly decrease after the loading phase.

The thicknesses of the macula and choroid were not correlated to vessel density, but they could be correlated to vascular exudation.

The anti-VEGF treatment (bevacizumab), acting on vascular hyperpermeability, determines the level of reduction of retinal and choroidal exudation, resulting in a decrease of their thicknesses; consequently, these parameters could reflect the effectiveness of the anti-VEGF injections for treating exudative AMD with respect to OCTA parameters.