Influence of bevacizumab therapy and intraretinal hemorrhage in long-term outcomes of hemorrhagic retinal arterial macroaneurysm

This study aimed to evaluate the long-term visual outcomes of hemorrhagic retinal arterial macroaneurysm (RAM), particularly focusing on the influence of bevacizumab therapy and intraretinal hemorrhage (IRH) on the outcomes. This retrospective study included 49 patients diagnosed with hemorrhagic RAM. Patients were divided into the bevacizumab group and observation group depending on the whether they were administered bevacizumab treatment and the IRH group and the non-IRH group based on the presence of IRH at the fovea. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at diagnosis was compared with that at the final visit. Further, the BCVA at the final visit was compared between the study groups. Multivariate analysis was also performed to identify factors associated with poor BCVA at the final visit. The mean follow-up period was 24.8 ± 15.3 months. The mean logarithm of minimal angle of resolution BCVA was significantly improved from 1.37 ± 0.70 at diagnosis to 0.72 ± 0.62 at the final visit (P < 0.001). There was no significant difference in the BCVA at the final visit between the bevacizumab group and observation group (P = 0.576). However, the BCVA at the final visit was significantly worse in the IRH group than in the non-IRH group (P = 0.002). In multivariate analysis, the presence of IRH was significantly associated with poor BCVA (P = 0.007). Significant long-term visual improvement was noted in hemorrhagic RAM. However, the presence of IRH at the fovea was associated with poor visual prognosis. Bevacizumab therapy did not significantly influence the outcomes.