ABSTRACT
Introduction: This study reports a case of bevacizumab administered to treat choroidal neovascularisation in a woman later discovered to be pregnant.
Clinical Picture: A 25-year-old pregnant woman developed myopic choroidal neovascularisation in both eyes. Treatment: Both eyes were treated with a total of 3 intravitreal injections of bevacizumab sequentially. Outcome: Vision improved significantly in both eyes. There were no evident pregnancy-related complications at 1 year postpartum. Conclusion: Although anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy did not result in any detectable short-term adverse event in this mother and baby, the potential toxicity of these agents must be carefully considered in pregnant patients.The recognition that vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (NVAMD) has led to the development of several intravitreal anti-angiogenic therapeutics. Ranibizumab (Lucentis, Genentech, San Francisco, USA) and pegaptanib (Macugen, OSI/Eyetech Pharmaceuticals, New York, USA) have been FDA-approved for the treatment of all forms of NVAMD in the United States, while bevacizumab (Avastin, Genentech) is gaining wide acceptance as an off-label therapy.
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