Delayed patchy choroidal filling in the Comparison of Age-Related Macular Degeneration Treatments Trials (CATT).

PURPOSE To determine the relationship between delayed patchy choroidal filling and morphologic and functional outcomes among eyes treated with ranibizumab or bevacizumab. DESIGN Cohort study. METHODS Comparison of Age-related Macular Degeneration Treatment Trials participants were assigned randomly to ranibizumab or bevacizumab on a monthly or as-needed schedule. Presence of delayed patchy choroidal filling and morphologic and functional outcomes were evaluated among eyes with gradable fluorescein angiography at baseline (n = 973) and at 1 year (n = 860) eyes. RESULTS Delayed filling was present in 75 (7.7%) of 973 eyes at baseline. Eyes with incident delayed filling at 1 year (23 [2.9%] of 798) showed a mean decrease of 1.7 letters in visual acuity, whereas eyes without incident delayed filling had a mean improvement of 8.1 letters (difference [Δ], -9.8; 95% confidence interval [CI] , -15.8 to -3.9; P < .01). Eyes with incident delayed filling had a larger increase in mean total lesion area of choroidal neovascularization (3.00 mm(2)) than eyes without incident delayed filling (0.56 mm(2); Δ , 2.4; 95% CI, 0.4 to 4.4; P = .02). The proportion with incident delayed filling at 1 year was similar among eyes treated with ranibizumab (10 [2.4%] of 413) or bevacizumab (13 [3.3%] of 385; P = .53) and among eyes treated monthly (12 [3.1%] of 388) or as needed (11 [2.7%] of 410; P = .83). CONCLUSIONS Delayed patchy choroidal filling was uncommon at baseline. Although only a small percentage of eyes demonstrated delayed filling during the first year of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor treatment, these eyes had worse visual acuity and a larger increase in total lesion area of choroidal neovascularization.