OUTCOMES OF NONCONFLUENT DIODE LASER PANRETINAL PHOTOCOAGULATION FOR AGGRESSIVE POSTERIOR RETINOPATHY OF PREMATURITY...

To assess the safety and efficacy of less dense panretinal photocoagulation after intravitreal bevacizumab in aggressive posterior retinopathy of prematurity infants.

Retrospective consecutive case series of premature infants diagnosed with aggressive posterior retinopathy of prematurity between August 2012 and November 2015 who received intravitreal bevacizumab with subsequent modified indirect diode laser panretinal photocoagulation for reactivation or incomplete vascularization. Main outcome measures included postprocedural reactivation, retinal detachments, or anterior segment ischemia.

Sixty-one eyes of 31 premature infants were identified. The average gestational age was 24 ± 2.2 weeks (range 22-27), and the average birth weight was 661.5 ± 167.1 g (range 340.0-930.5 g). The average follow-up was 3.9 ± 1.3 years (range 1.3-5.4 years). At the last follow-up, no patient had experienced postlaser reactivation, retinal detachments, anterior segment ischemia, or other laser complications.

This study suggests that nonconfluent panretinal photocoagulation for aggressive posterior retinopathy of prematurity infants who have received intravitreal bevacizumab may be safe and effective. This study's strengths include a sizeable sample size, long-term follow-up of nearly 4 years, and consistency in treatment among patients by a single, experienced retinopathy of prematurity specialist.