title: INTRAVITREAL BEVACIZUMAB FOR PROLIFERATIVE DIABETIC RETINOPATHY: Results From the Pan-American Collaborative Retina Study Group (PACORES) at 24 Months of Follow-up.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the effects of intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) on retinal neovascularization in patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR).
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective multicenter interventional case series. A chart review was performed of 81 consecutive patients (97 eyes) with retinal neovascularization due to PDR, who received at least 1 IVB injection.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age of the patients was 55.6 ± 11.6 years. The mean number of IVB injections was 4 ± 2.5 injections (range, 1-8 injections) per eye. The mean interval between IVB applications was 3 ± 7 months. The mean duration of follow-up was 29.6 ± 2 months (range, 24-30 months). Best-corrected visual acuity and optical coherence tomography improved statistically significantly (P < 0.0001, both comparisons). Three eyes without previous panretinal photocoagulation ("naive" eyes) and with vitreous hemorrhage did not require vitreoretinal surgery. Five (5.2%) eyes with PDR progressed to tractional retinal detachment requiring vitrectomy. No systemic adverse events were noted.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Intravitreal bevacizumab resulted in marked regression of retinal neovascularization in patients with PDR and previous panretinal photocoagulation. Intravitreal bevacizumab in naive eyes resulted in control or regression of 42.1% of eyes without adjunctive laser or vitrectomy during 24 months of follow-up. There were no safety concerns during the 2 years of follow-up of IVB for PDR.
authors.affiliation: *Retina Division, Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD; †Retina and Vitreous Service, Clínica Privada de Ojos, Mar del Plata, Argentina; ‡Instituto de Cirugia Ocular, San Jose, Costa Rica; §Departamento de Oftalmologia, Instituto da Visão, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil; ¶Consorcio Hospital, General Universitario de Valencia, Valencia, Spain; **Facultad de Medicina, OFTALMOS, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina; and ††Instituto Docente de Especialidades Oftalmológicas (IDEO), Maracaibo, Venezuela.
authors.forename: J Fernando
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Arevalo
authors.forename: Andres F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Lasave
authors.forename: Lihteh
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Mauricio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maia
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Diaz-Llopis
authors.forename: Arturo A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Alezzandrini
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brito
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000068258:Bevacizumab / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D058449:Intravitreal Injections; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015861:Retinal Neovascularization / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D014481:United States; D014792:Visual Acuity; D014821:Vitrectomy
chemical_list: D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; D000068258:Bevacizumab