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Aim: The use of intravitreal antiangiogenic therapy has showed good results in angiogenesis-dependent intraocular diseases. In this small case series study, the biologic effects on physiological angiogenesis and pathological angiogenesis in the retina of patients with retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) after treatment of either bevacizumab or ranibizumab, is described. Methods: In this non-comparative, prospective, experimental and interventional case series study, we injected a single dose of either bevacizumab or ranibizumab into the vitreous of 20 eyes of 10 patients with ROP. Patients included in this study were prematures with stage 3, zone I, or posterior zone II with or without plus disease and patients with stage 4 a, any zone. Clinical response and any evidence of ocular toxicities were documented both pre- and post-injection by RetCam retinal images. Results: After one week of intavitreal injection of bevacizumab or ranibizumab, all eyes had significant inhibition of angiogenesis without affecting the development of normal retina vasculature. After six weeks, all eyes showed completed vasculature of the retina without any sign of pathological angiogenesis. We found no differences between bevacizumab and ranibizumab results. Neither local nor systemic adverse effects occurred in 18 eyes, two eyes with ROP stage 4 a, developed a central retinal fibrosis. Conclusions: Intravitreal therapy with bevacizumab or ranibizumab inhibits pathological angiogenesis and allows the developement of normal vasculature of the retina in ROP. This study proves that intravitreal antiangiogenic therapy does not cause inhibition of physiological angiogenesis in the retinal vessels and may suggest that the same could happen in the systemic vasculature process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The use of intravitreal antiangiogenic therapy has showed good results in angiogenesis-dependent intraocular diseases. In this small case series study, the biologic effects on physiological angiogenesis and pathological angiogenesis in the retina of patients with retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) after treatment of either bevacizumab or ranibizumab, is described. Methods: In this non-comparative, prospective, experimental and interventional case series study, we injected a single dose of either bevacizumab or ranibizumab into the vitreous of 20 eyes of 10 patients with ROP. Patients included in this study were prematures with stage 3, zone I, or posterior zone II with or without plus disease and patients with stage 4 a, any zone. Clinical response and any evidence of ocular toxicities were documented both pre- and post-injection by RetCam retinal images. Results: After one week of intavitreal injection of bevacizumab or ranibizumab, all eyes had significant inhibition of angiogenesis without affecting the development of normal retina vasculature. After six weeks, all eyes showed completed vasculature of the retina without any sign of pathological angiogenesis. We found no differences between bevacizumab and ranibizumab results. Neither local nor systemic adverse effects occurred in 18 eyes, two eyes with ROP stage 4 a, developed a central retinal fibrosis. Conclusions: Intravitreal therapy with bevacizumab or ranibizumab inhibits pathological angiogenesis and allows the developement of normal vasculature of the retina in ROP. This study proves that intravitreal antiangiogenic therapy does not cause inhibition of physiological angiogenesis in the retinal vessels and may suggest that the same could happen in the systemic vasculature process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]