Intravitreal bevacizumab for filtering surgery.

Background: It was the aim of this study to report on the intravitreal use of bevacizumab as antiproliferative agent in combination with filtering surgery.

Methods: The clinical interventional case series study included 2 patients (2 eyes) who underwent standard antiglaucomatous penetrating filtering surgery combined with an intravitreal application of 1.5 mg bevacizumab. The intraocular pressure was elevated due to an intravitreal triamcinolone injection as treatment of exudative age-related macular degeneration (patient No. 1) or due to neovascular glaucoma (patient No. 2) after an ischemic retinal branch vein occlusion.

Results: At 4 and 12 weeks after surgery, intraocular pressure was reduced in both patients to 10 and 14 mm Hg with functioning filtering blebs.

Conclusions: Intravitreal bevacizumab may potentially be helpful as addition to antiglaucomatous filtering surgery, particularly in neovascular glaucoma.