Intravitreal Bevacizumab for Zone II Retinopathy of Prematurity

To evaluate the treatment outcomes of intravitreal bevacizumab injections as monotherapy in type 1 retinopathy of prematurity (ROP).

A retrospective chart review was performed for patients with type 1 ROP who had intravitreal bevacizumab injections between November 2013 and January 2015 at La Paz University Hospital in Madrid, Spain. Gestational age at birth, birth weight, sex, ROP zone, ROP stage, mean age at treatment, and follow-up period were recorded. The final clinical status of the retina was noted for each patient. The primary outcome measures included ROP recurrences requiring re-treatment, complete or incomplete peripheral vascularization, mean age at complete vascularization, and refractive errors.

From 14 patients enrolled with type 1 ROP, 28 eyes were included. The mean gestational age at birth was 25.9 ± 2.34 weeks (range: 23.6 to 32.4 weeks) and the median birth weight was 694 g (range: 487 to 1,740 g). All eyes showed zone II ROP: 18 eyes (64.3%) had anterior zone II ROP and 10 eyes (35.7%) had posterior zone II ROP. One week after intravitreal bevacizumab injection, 14 eyes (50%) had achieved complete regression of ROP, and a partial regression of ROP was observed in 10 eyes (35.7%). Twenty-two eyes (78.6%) obtained complete vascularization during the follow-up. The median time to complete vascularization was 134 ± 21.45 days. The mean spherical equivalent at last visit was 1.99 diopters.

Intravitreal bevacizumab injection used as a monotherapy is an effective treatment approach in patients with zone II ROP. [J Pediatr Ophthalmol Strabismus. 2016;53(6):375-382.].