title: Efficacy of intravitreal bevacizumab for zone-II retinopathy of prematurity.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the effect of intravitreal bevacizumab for Type 1 retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in zone II ROP.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a randomized clinical trial. Preterm infants with a gestational age less than 34 weeks or birthweight less than 2000 g were examined at 4 weeks chronological age or 31 weeks postmenstrual age (whichever was later). Preterm infants with Zone-II/Stage 2 or 3 and plus disease were included. Eligible infants were randomized to receive either conventional indirect laser therapy or intravitreal bevacizumab injections (0.625 mg/0.025 ml). The primary outcome was defined as treatment failure: ROP persistence or recurrence by 90 weeks postmenstrual age.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our study population comprised 79 infants (158 eyes) with Zone-II ROP. Randomly, 43 infants (86 eyes) were assigned to receive intravitreal bevacizumab and 36 infants (72 eyes) to receive conventional indirect laser therapy. All the infants were followed up at least until 90 weeks postmenstrual age. Stage-3 ROP recurred in nine eyes (10.5%) in the bevacizumab group and one eye (1.4%) in the laser group (p value = 0.018). In recurrent cases after the second treatment, ROP in eight of the nine eyes (88.8%) in the bevacizumab group and the eye in the laser group regressed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Recurrence of neovascularization with bevacizumab monotherapy seems to be higher than that with conventional laser therapy among infants with Type 1 ROP in zone II ROP but reinjection of bevacizumab causes regression in most recurrent cases.
authors.affiliation: Eye Research Center, Farabi Eye Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Science (TUMS), Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Reza
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Karkhaneh
authors.affiliation: Eye Research Center, Farabi Eye Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Science (TUMS), Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Alireza
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Khodabande
authors.affiliation: Eye Research Center, Farabi Eye Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Science (TUMS), Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Riazi-Eafahani
authors.affiliation: Eye Research Center, Farabi Eye Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Science (TUMS), Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Ramak
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Roohipoor
authors.affiliation: Eye Research Center, Farabi Eye Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Science (TUMS), Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Fariba
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ghassemi
authors.affiliation: Eye Research Center, Farabi Eye Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Science (TUMS), Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Marjan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Imani
authors.affiliation: Eye Research Center, Farabi Eye Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Science (TUMS), Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Afsar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dastjani Farahani
authors.affiliation: Eye Research Center, Farabi Eye Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Science (TUMS), Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Nazanin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ebrahimi Adib
authors.affiliation: Eye Research Center, Farabi Eye Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Science (TUMS), Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Hamidreza
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Torabi
mesh_terms: D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000068258:Bevacizumab / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D052577:Infant, Extremely Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D058449:Intravitreal Injections; D017075:Laser Coagulation; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012008:Recurrence; D012178:Retinopathy of Prematurity / Q000145:classification / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors
chemical_list: D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; C467484:VEGFA protein, human; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D000068258:Bevacizumab
keywords: bevacizumab; intravitreal injection; laser; retinopathy of prematurity