Pre-treatment clinical features in central retinal vein occlusion that predict visual outcome following intravitreal ranibizumab

BACKGROUND: Predicting how patients with central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) will respond to intravitreal anti-VEGF is challenging. The purpose of this study was to identify pre-treatment clinical features in CRVO that predict visual acuity (VA) following intravitreal ranibizumab. METHODS: Medical records, fundus images and optical coherence tomography (OCT) scans of treatment naïve patients with CRVO receiving PRN intravitreal ranibizumab were retrospectively reviewed. Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) VA and central retinal thickness (CRT) were recorded at baseline, 3 and 12 months after starting therapy. Regression analysis was used to determine independent predictors of VA at 3 and 12 months follow-up. Possible predictors included baseline VA, age, presence of cotton wool spots (CWS), haemorrhages (few scattered or multiple deep), foveal detachment, CRT, time from presentation to treatment, number of injections given, presence of RAPD, and cause of CRVO. RESULTS: Data from 52 eyes of 50 patients receiving intravitreal ranibizumab treatment for CRVO were analyzed. The mean pre-treatment VA was 43.3 (SD 22.5) letters, which improved to 52.0 (SD 24.3) letters at 3 months, then dropped to 42.0 (SD 30.26) at 12 months. Baseline CRT reduced from 616.7 μm (SD 272.4) to 346.0 μm (SD 205.2) at 3 months and 304.0 μm (SD 168.3) at 12 months. The following features were predictive of poorer VA after starting intravitreal ranibizumab: Poorer pretreatment VA (3-months, P = 0.010; 12-months, P = 0.006), increasing age (3-months, P = < 0.001; 12-months, P = 0.006), and presence of CWS (3-months, P < 0.001; 12-months, P = 0.045). CONCLUSION: Pre-treatment VA, older age, and presence of CWS are easily identifiable clinical features in the hospital setting which help predict visual outcome in patients with CRVO receiving intravitreal ranibizumab.