Fluorescein leak and retinal vascularisation post bevacizumab for treatment of type 1 retinopathy of prematurity: A dose comparison

Abstract

Purpose: To compare the rate of fluorescein leak and length of temporal retinal vascularisation in eyes treated with 0.625 mg versus 0.3125 mg intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) for type 1 retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). Setting/Venue: A tertiary paediatric referral centre Methodology: Retrospective cohort study of patients who received IVB for treatment of ROP between October 2018 and January 2023. Infants were included if they underwent fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA) for follow-up. Vascularised retina was measured from the centre of the optic disc through the fovea to the temporal vascular-avascular border. The length of vascularised retina was expressed in disc diameters (DD). Results: Eighty-six eyes of 44 infants received IVB for ROP treatment during the study period. Of these, 75 eyes had FFAs available for review. Patient demographics and time to treatment were comparable between groups. Fluorescein leak was observed in 7.5% and 17.6% of eyes that received 0.625 mg and 0.325 mg IVB respectively, but this was not statistically significant (p = 0.286). Eyes treated with 0.625 mg had an increased temporal vascularisation of 12.13 DD compared with 11.6 DD in the lower dose group however this was not statistically significant (p = 0.79). Conclusions: Patients who received a lower IVB dose for treatment of ROP did not have a significant difference in leak or temporal vascularisation on follow-up FFA.