Assessment of choriocapillaris/Sattler and Haller layer changes after intravitreal injection in eyes with neovascular age-related macular degeneration: aflibercept vs ranibizumab.

Purpose: To evaluate the changes in choriocapillaris (CC)/Sattler and Haller layer thicknesses in eyes with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) after aflibercept or ranibizumab injections.

Study Design: Retrospective.

Methods: A total of 70 eyes of 70 patients with treatment-naïve exudative nAMD were treated with 3 consecutive injections of aflibercept (IVA) or ranibizumab (IVR). CC/Sattler and Haller layer thicknesses were measured at the nasal and temporal regions 1000 µm from the center of the fovea by enhanced-depth imaging optical coherence tomography at baseline and after the 3 monthly intravitreal injections. In addition, the hyperfluorescence region (HF) was measured as the largest horizontal diameter of the hyperfluorescence area on the early-middle phase fluorescein angiographic images at baseline and after the 3 loading doses.

Results: After the 3 consecutive injections, the mean reductions in the nasal/temporal CC/Sattler layer thicknesses in the IVR and IVA groups were  - 10.1 ± 2.3/ - 8.5 ± 1.8 and  - 25.2 ± 15.2/ - 19.4 ± 12.8 μm, respectively. Also, the mean reductions in the nasal/temporal Haller layer thicknesses in the IVR and IVA groups were  - 6.5 ± 3.6/ - 7.2 ± 7.9 and  - 9.5 ± 8.0/ - 7.0 ± 6.2 μm, respectively. The changes in the CC/Sattler layer thicknesses of the IVA group were greater than those of the IVR group (P < .001); however, the changes in the Haller layer thickness were similar between the groups (P > .05). The mean decrease in the HF size of the IVA group was greater than that of the IVR group (P < .001).

Conclusions: Aflibercept treatment has a more pronounced effect on the CC/Sattler layer. Such results may indicate that aflibercept treatment influences choroidal neovascularization, possibly by reducing the capillary permeability associated with active neovascularization in the CC layer.