Ranibizumab Injections to Treat Macular Telangiectasia With New Blood Vessel Growth

• Status: Completed
• Trial end date: 2011-04-12
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: All

Summary

This study will examine whether the drug ranibizumab (Lucentis) can help prevent vision loss in people with macular telangiectasia, a condition in which new blood vessels grow in the retina at the back of the eye and can leak. Such changes in blood vessels are seen in other diseases associated with changes in a body chemical called vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Ranibizumab is an anti-VEGF drug that is effective in treating another eye disease, age-related macular degeneration, with similar changes in eye blood vessels.

People 18 years of age and older with macular telangiectasia in both eyes and new blood vessel growth in at least one eye may be eligible for this study. They must have vision better than 20/400 in the study eye.

Participants undergo the following procedures:

• Ranibizumab injections in the study eye at least four times over 12 weeks. Depending on the response to treatment and the side effects, additional injections may be given every 4 weeks for up to 1 year. The eye is numbed before the injection and the eye area is cleaned with an antiseptic. Antibiotic drops are used for 3 days following the injection to prevent infection.

• Evaluations before starting treatment, at the time of each injection, and 8 weeks after the last treatment:

• History and physical examination.

• Eye examination with dilation, microperimetry and photography: The eye examination measures visual acuity, eye pressure and eye movements. For the microperimetry test, subjects sit in front of a computer screen and press a button when they see a light on the screen. Measurements and photographs of the retina are also taken.

• Fluorescein and indocyanine green angiography to examine the blood vessels in the eye: A dye called fluorescein or indocyanine green is injected into a vein in the arm. The dye travels through the veins to the blood vessels in the eyes. A camera takes pictures of the dye as it flows through the blood vessels.

• Pregnancy test: Women who are able to become pregnant have a urine pregnancy test before each ranibizumab injection.

• Phase: Phase 1
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: No

Details

• Lead Sponsor: National Eye Institute (NEI)
• Treatments: Ranibizumab

Criteria

• INCLUSION CRITERIA:

• Participant must understand and sign the informed consent.

• Participant must be at least 18 years of age.

• Participant must have macular telangiectasia in both eyes.

• Participant must have neovascularization in the study eye.

• Participant must have vision loss of better than 20/400 in the study eye.

• Participant must have clear ocular media and adequate pupillary dilation to permit good quality stereoscopic fundus photography.

• All women of childbearing potential must have a negative urine pregnancy test at baseline, and be willing to undergo testing immediately prior to each injection and monthly for at least 2 months following the last dose of ranibizumab.

• Safety and toxicity of ranibizumab have not yet been investigated in children. Further, it is unlikely that younger participants will be able to comply with all examinations and intravitreal injections. Therefore, participants below the age of 18 will be excluded from participation in the study. This ocular condition is not commonly found in participants below the age of 18.

EXCLUSION CRITERIA:

• History (within past five years) of a myocardial infarction or cerebrovascular accident or evidence of severe cardiac disease (apparent in electrocardiogram abnormalities, clinical history of unstable angina, acute coronary syndrome, myocardial infarction, revascularization procedure within six months prior to baseline, atrial or ventricular tachyarrythmias requiring ongoing treatment).

• History of stroke within 12 months of study entry.

• History within the past 30 days of a chronic ocular or periocular infection (including any history of ocular herpes zoster).

• Current acute ocular or periocular infection.

• Any major surgical procedure within one month of study entry.

• Known serious allergies to fluorescein dye AND either indocyanine green dye iodine, or shellfish. Indocyanine green dye is contraindicated in patients with iodine and shellfish allergies.