Neurodevelopmental Outcomes Following Intravitreal Bevacizumab With Laser Versus Laser Photocoagulation Alone for Retinopathy of Prematurity

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To assess neurodevelopmental outcomes of infants with treatment-warranted retinopathy of prematurity (TW-ROP) treated with intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) plus diode laser photocoagulation (DLP) compared to DLP alone. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective review was performed of infants who underwent treatment for TW-ROP with IVB+DLP or DLP alone from 2010 to 2017. Baseline characteristics and coexisting medical comorbidities were recorded. The presence of neurodevelopmental delay (NDD) at 2-year follow-up and composite Bayley-III scores were recorded. RESULTS: Sixty-six infants were included in the study; 18 received IVB+DLP, and 48 received DLP alone. Average Bayley-III scores for cognition, language, and motor, as well as rates of documental NDD, did not differ between the groups. CONCLUSION: This study does not demonstrate an increased risk of NDD in infants with TW-ROP treated with IVB+DLP compared with DLP alone. [ Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina . 2020;51:220–224.]

Postnatal Growth Trajectories and Neurodevelopmental Outcomes Following Bevacizumab Treatment for Retinopathy of Prematurity

“…Although VEGF has been shown to play a key role in neurodevelopment, 7 previous studies have largely found no detriment to neurodevelopmental outcomes in infants treated with IVB. [14][15][16][17][18][19][20] Bayley III scores have been the most commonly used metric to quantify neurodevelopment, and our analysis corroborates the majority of previous studies.…”

80 Years of vision: preventing blindness from retinopathy of prematurity

“…There have also been studies, mostly with IVB, demonstrating increased risk of neurodevelopmental delays in infants receiving anti-VEGF therapies [ 40 ], but ascribing the neurodevelopment delay to anti-VEGF therapy alone is challenging as the highest risk infants are also those most likely to be treated with anti-VEGF therapies. For example, another study comparing average Bayley-III scores for cognition, language, motor, and neurodevelopmental outcomes found no difference between infants who received off-label IVB with delayed laser therapy compared to those who received primary laser therapy [ 41 ]. Further prospective studies are needed to definitively assess the neurodevelopment risk of anti-VEGF therapy.…”

Rétinopathie du prématuré : de la prévention au traitement

“…Des inquiétudes se sont faites jour à la suite de la publication d'études épidémiologiques montrant une association entre traitement par anticorps anti-VEGF et anomalies neuro-développementales à long terme [45]. Ces données restent toutefois à confirmer [46]. La place des anticorps anti-VEGF dans le traitement de la ROP reste donc imparfaitement définie.…”