title: Intravitreal bevacizumab as supplemental treatment or monotherapy for severe retinopathy of prematurity.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the benefit of intravitreal bevacizumab as supplemental or primary treatment for retinopathy of prematurity.
  
  
  METHODS
  The files of nine consecutive infants treated with intravitreal bevacizumab for bilateral severe posterior retinopathy of prematurity were reviewed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Gestational age was 24 weeks to 27 weeks, and birth weight was 660 g to 1,131 g. Indications for treatment were retinopathy of prematurity progression from Stage 3 to 4A or 2 to 3 with extraretinal neovascularization despite laser treatment; active neovascular Stage 4A disease after laser and cryo-treatment; anterior segment neovascularization and bleeding after laser treatment; and aggressive posterior disease with tunica vasculosa lentis and vitreous haze, which prevented laser treatment. One patient (two eyes) underwent lens-sparing vitrectomy after bevacizumab treatment; one eye acquired macular fold. One patient underwent bilateral scleral buckle. Bevacizumab treatment was associated with subsidence of the active vascular component in all eyes. Anatomical results were favorable in 17 eyes. There were no local or systemic complications.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Intravitreal bevacizumab may serve as a supplemental therapeutic agent for severe laser-refractory retinopathy of prematurity or as monotherapy when media opacities preclude diode laser photocoagulation or the patient is too sick for lengthy laser treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Rabin Medical Center, Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel, Petah Tiqwa, Israel. seegs@netvision.net.il
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Axer-Siegel
authors.forename: Moshe
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Snir
authors.forename: Yonina
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ron
authors.forename: Ronit
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Friling
authors.forename: Lea
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sirota
authors.forename: Dov
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Weinberger
mesh_terms: D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000068258:Bevacizumab; D001724:Birth Weight; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D052577:Infant, Extremely Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D058449:Intravitreal Injections; D008297:Male; D015861:Retinal Neovascularization / Q000145:classification / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012178:Retinopathy of Prematurity / Q000145:classification / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; C467484:VEGFA protein, human; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D000068258:Bevacizumab