Chiharu Iwahashi; Shoko Utamura; Kazuki Kuniyoshi; Koji Sugioka; Yuhei Konishi; Norihisa Wada; Shunji Kusaka
Retina (Philadelphia, Pa.) 2021年05月
PURPOSE: To investigate the efficacy and risk factors of intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor injection (anti-VEGF therapy) for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 80 consecutive eyes of 43 patients with type 1 ROP or worse who received anti-VEGF therapy during January 2012-February 2018. Patients were divided into those who were injected with 0.25 mg bevacizumab (IVB group, 37 eyes) and 0.25 mg ranibizumab (IVR group, 43 eyes). Serum VEGF concentrations of 18 patients were measured before and after IVR. RESULTS: Anti-VEGF therapy reduced ROP activity in all eyes; however, 14 eyes (17.5%) exhibited reactivation. The reactivation rates of the IVB and IVR groups were 13.5% and 20.9%, respectively (p = 0.556). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that postmenstrual age (PMA) ≤35 weeks at anti-VEGF therapy (p = 0.014) and aggressive posterior ROP (p = 0.044) were significantly associated with reactivation. Serum VEGF was significantly suppressed at days 1 (p < 0.001) and 7 (p = 0.012) after IVR and returned to preinjection level by day 14 (p = 0.210). CONCLUSIONS: Both IVR and IVB seemed effective in reducing ROP activity. Reactivation after anti-VEGF therapy may be associated with younger PMA at anti-VEGF therapy and aggressive posterior ROP.