Retinopathy of Prematurity Ophthalmologic Approach Medication

Updated: Sep 21, 2023
  • Author: Mounir Bashour, MD, PhD, CM, FRCSC, FACS; Chief Editor: Donny W Suh, MD, MBA, FAAP, FACS  more...
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Medication

Medication Summary

In a prospective study by Repka et al, surfactant has not been found to lower the incidence of ROP. [25]

A study by Wu et al examined the use of bevacizumab to treat ROP. [26] Among the 27 patients (18 male, 9 female) in the study, 49 eyes were included. The study found that bevacizumab was effective and well-tolerated in some cases of ROP, most notably in stage 3. However, the study did note that complications from bevacizumab were possible in pediatric patients.

A study by Mintz-Hittner et al examined the use of bevacizumab to treat ROP in 150 infants. [27] The study found that monotherapy with bevacizumab showed a significant treatment benefit in zone I ROP (P=0.003) but not in zone II ROP (P=0.27). However, the study size was too small to assess safety. Long-term studies are still necessary.

A 2022 study showed: "Laser was associated with a lower rate of retreatment than ranibizumab in type 1 ROP (Zones I and II combined), while bevacizumab was associated with a lower rate of retreatment than laser in Zone I ROP. Aflibercept and bevacizumab demonstrate longer duration of action than ranibizumab for ROP." [28]

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