title: Vascular endothelial growth factor in Coats' disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine whether vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) as one of the most important intraocular cytokines for angiogenesis and increased vascular permeability is associated with Coats' disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  The clinical interventional study included 28 patients with Coats' disease and seven control patients with congenital cataract. During intraocular surgery, we obtained aqueous humour samples in which the VEGF concentration was measured by double-antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Coats' disease was graded into four stages.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean aqueous VEGF level was significantly higher in the Coats' study group than in the control group (158±88 versus 97±21 pg/ml; p=0.002). The VEGF concentrations increased significantly (p<0.001) from 91±32 pg/ml in Coats' disease stage 2 to 100±37 pg/ml in stage 3A1, 185±56 pg/ml in stage 3A2 to 256±93 pg/ml in patients with stage 3B. Vascular endothelial growth factor concentrations in Coats' stage 2 and 3A1 did not differ significantly from the values in the control group. Parallel to the association with the stage of the diseases, the VEGF concentrations were significantly (p<0.001) correlated with extent of exudative retinal detachment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Increasing severity of Coats' disease is significantly associated with intraocular VEGF concentrations. These results favour the intravitreal application of anti-VEGF drugs as medical therapy of Coats' diseases.
authors.affiliation: Beijing Institute of Ophthalmology, Beijing Tongren Eye Center, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences Key Lab, Beijing, ChinaDepartment of Ophthalmology, Puren Hospital of Beijing, Beijing, ChinaDepartment of Ophthalmology, Beijing Tongren Eye Center, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences Key Lab, Beijing, ChinaDepartment of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Clinical Medicine Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Qi
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Xiao-Yan
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: Feng-Hua
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Yong-Peng
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Lian
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Qi-Sheng
authors.initials: QS
authors.lastname: You
authors.forename: Jost B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Jonas
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001082:Aqueous Humor / Q000378:metabolism*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D018450:Disease Progression; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D058456:Retinal Telangiectasis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A
keywords: Coats’ disease; exudative retinal detachment; intraocular angiogenesis; retinal edema; vascular endothelial growth factor