The Process of Retinal Vascularization after Anti-VEGF Treatment in Retinopathy of Prematurity: A Comparison Study between Ranibizumab and Bevacizumab.

PURPOSE: To compare the effects on the process of retinal vascularization of intravitreal ranibizumab (IVR) and intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) in the treatment of severe retinopathy of prematurity.

METHODS: The present study is a bi-centered retrospective study. While 44 eyes of 22 patients in group 1 were applied 0.625 mg bevacizumab, 46 eyes of 23 patients in group 2 were applied 0.25 mg ranibizumab. Retinal vascularization was evaluated clinically.

RESULTS: The mean time for completion of vascularization was found to be postmenstrual 55.93 ± 4.13 weeks in group 1 and 56.30 ± 4.30 weeks in group 2. There were significant differences in the recurrence prevalence between the two groups. The prevalence of recurrence was found to be significantly higher in the ranibizumab group than in the bevacizumab group (p = 0.023).

CONCLUSIONS: The study showed that after IVR or IVB treatment, vascularization could be completed with delay; there were no differences in this delay time between the ranibizumab and bevacizumab groups. Besides, avascular areas may remain in the peripheral retina, and additional treatment may be necessary after IVB or IVR treatment. When the treatment was applied as monotherapy, more recurrence was observed in the ranibizumab group.