2MD., Etlik Zübeyde Hanim Women?s Health Education and Research Hospital, Department of Neonatology, Ankara, Turkey DOI : 10.37845/ret.vit.2020.29.36 Purpose: To evaluate the results of intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) monotherapy applied for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) during a 6 year period in a tertiary referral for ROP.
Materials and Methods: The fi les of patients treated with IVB for ROP between January 2012 and October 2018 were evaluated retrospectively. Gestational age, birth weight, indications and results of IVB monotherapy and complications were recorded.
Results: One hundred twenty three eyes of 69 patients were included in the study. Seventy-six eyes (58.5%) of 40 patients had aggressive posterior retinopathy of prematurity (AP-ROP) and 47 eyes (41.3%) of 29 patients had classic Type 1 ROP. One hundred nine eyes (88.7%) of 62 patients were responsive to initial IVB injection but 14 eyes (11.3) of seven patients were non-responsive. Complete resolution was detected in 76 eyes (69.7%) of 44 patients responsive to initial IVB treatment, whereas in 29 eyes (26.6%) of 16 patients, ROP recurred within a mean period of 8.0 ± 3.0 weeks. In four eyes (3.6%) of two patients, peripheral vascularization was not completed.
Conclusion: Although a signifi cant number of patients were responsive to IVB injection, recurrence was an important disadvantage. Thus, long term and close follow up examinations are crucial after IVB injection.
Keywords : Bevacizumab, retinopathy of prematurity, recurrence, laser coagulation, VEGF