Treatment of Type 1 ROP with intravitreal bevacizumab or laser photocoagulation according to retinal zone
Reviewed by Jonathan Chan

This is a retrospective review of charts of 54 consecutive very low birth weight (VLBW) infants between June 2011 and January 2015 from Berlin, Germany. Type 1 ROP (posterior ROP, n=33; peripheral zone 2, n= 21) were treated with either IVB (n=37) or laser photocoagulation (n=17). Posterior ROP showed significantly faster regression of active ROP within 12 days (range nine to 15 days) if treated with IVB compared with laser photocoagulation. For active ROP regression within 57 days (range 28-63 days) (p>0.001), no difference was seen in the peripheral zone 2 group. Twelve percent (5/7 patients) developed recurrence in both eyes and required additional laser treatments within a mean of 12.7 weeks (11.3- 15.6 weeks). One patient after laser therapy developed macular dragging and another infant developed a transient exudative retinal detachment. Twelve months post treatment, the spherical equivalent was similar in both treatment groups in the posterior ROP infants. IVB group has a significant lower spherical equivalent (+0.37 dioptres mean) in the posterior group than in the peripheral zone 2 group (Spherical equivalent +3 dioptres mean, p<0.001). The authors concluded that a prospective trial of a larger cohort with wide field imaging and OCT is needed in the future.

Treatment of Type 1 ROP with intravitreal bevacizumab or laser photocoagulation according to retinal zone.
Mueller B, Salchow DJ, Waffenschmidt E, et al.
BRITISH JOURNAL OF OPHTHALMOLOGY
2017;101:365-70.