TREATMENT OF NONNEOVASCULAR IDIOPATHIC MACULAR TELANGIECTASIA TYPE 2 WITH INTRAVITREAL RANIBIZUMAB

Abstract

In Brief Purpose: To evaluate the safety and preliminary efficacy of intravitreal ranibizumab for nonneovascular idiopathic macular telangiectasia Type 2. Methods: Single-center, open-label Phase II clinical trial enrolling five participants with bilateral nonneovascular idiopathic macular telangiectasia Type 2. Intravitreal ranibizumab (0.5 mg) was administered every 4 weeks in the study eye for 12 months with the contralateral eye observed. Outcome measures included changes in best-corrected visual acuity, area of late-phase leakage on fluorescein angiography, and retinal thickness on optical coherence tomography. Results: The study treatment was well tolerated and associated with few adverse events. Change in best-corrected visual acuity at 12 months was not significantly different between treated study eyes (0.0 ± 7.5 letters) and control fellow eyes (+2.2 ± 1.9 letters). However, decreases in the area of late-phase fluorescein angiography leakage (−33 ± 20% for study eyes, +1 ± 8% for fellow eyes) and in optical coherence tomography central subfield retinal thickness (−11.7 ± 7.0% for study eyes and −2.9 ± 3.5% for fellow eyes) were greater in study eyes compared with fellow eyes. Conclusion: Despite significant anatomical responses to treatment, functional improvement in visual acuity was not detected. Intravitreal ranibizumab administered monthly over a time course of 12 months is unlikely to provide a general and significant benefit to patients with nonneovascular idiopathic macular telangiectasia Type 2. The current Phase II clinical study used a paired, unilateral treated-eye design to assess sustained 12-month intravitreal ranibizumab on anatomical and functional progression in patients with idiopathic macular telangiectasia Type 2. The study results suggest that ranibizumab has no treatment impact on visual acuity, despite decreasing vascular leakage and retinal edema.