TITLE:
Does Anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Treatment Delay Photoreceptor Maturation in Preterm Infants?
AUTHORS:
Elçin Süren, Ersan Çetinkaya, Mehmet Fatih Küçük, Musatafa Kalaycı, Muhammet Kazim Erol
KEYWORDS:
Cystoid Macular Edema, Photoreceptor, Retinopathy of Prematurity, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Ophthalmology,
Vol.10 No.1,
December
24,
2019
ABSTRACT: Purpose: To investigate the effects of
intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) for treatment of type-1 or aggressive posterior
retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) on photoreceptor maturation in preterm infants
using spectral domain optical coherence
tomography (SD-OCT). Methods: A study group of 36 patients with ROP
treated with anti-VEGF therapy was compared to a control group of 80 patients
with ROP. All patients had undergone SD-OCT imaging at least once between 40 and 44 weeks
post-menstrual age (PMA). Two imaging
specialists evaluated the images for ellipsoid zone (EZ) development, cystoid
macular edema (CME), sub-retinal fluid (SRF) at the fovea, and cone outer
segment tips (COST). The outer nuclear layer thickness and the distance from
the EZ to the central fovea was measured. Results: EZ development was
observed in 18 (50%) patients in the study group and 68 (85%) in the control
group (p = 0.002). CME was observed in 17 (47.2%) patients in the study group
and 17 (21.2%) in the control group. The distance between the EZ and central
fovea was 868 ± 440 μm in the study group and 725 ± 380 μm in the control group
(p = 0.02). COST was not observed in any patient. Regression analysis indicated
that anti-VEGF treatment and CME affect EZ development. Conclusions: Early photoreceptor maturation is correlated with preterm birth week but not ROP stage. Anti-VEGF treatment delays
photoreceptor maturation in preterm infants.