Evaluation of therapeutic response to intravitreal injection of bevacizumab in aggressive posterior retinopathy of prematurity

Abstract

The posterior progressive type of the disease (AP-ROP) is also a rapidly progressive type of disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the response to treatment of intravitreal injection of bevacizumab in aggressive posterior retinopathy of prematurity METHODS: Neonatal cases with AP-ROP during the second half of 2015, 2016 and 2017 in terms of characteristics such as age of birth, birth weight, infant age during initial injection, unilateral or bilateral involvement, treatment response, relapse, injection complications and need for more therapeutic interventions were reviewed. RESULTS: During this initial injection period, Avastin was used to treat AP-ROP for 60 eyes of 30 patients whose mean gestational age was 27.57 ± 1.97 weeks with a range of 25 to 32 weeks. The birth weight range was 780 to 1800 grams (median 287.83 ± 1030 grams). The median age of initial diagnosis and initial injection was 2.01 ± 7.13 weeks after birth (range 4-11 weeks). The range of neonatal follow-up period was 6 to 16 (median 9.66 ± 2.89) months. The rate of relapse in these patients was 26.67%. Also, the need for laser therapy and surgery in eyes with ROP after 2 intravitreal injection of Avastin was 6.66%. Complications after intravitreal injection of Avastin, such as cataract and endophthalmitis, were not seen in any of the eyes (0.00%).