Evaluation of the Effect of Peroperative Bevacizumab on Anatomical and Functional Outcomes in Epiretinal Membrane Cases Secondary to Diabetes Mellitus.

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of peroperative intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) addition on anatomical and functional outcomes in the secondary epiretinal membrane (ERM) peeling surgery in eyes with a diagnosis of proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). Materials and Methods: Patients who had previously received laser photocoagulation and anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) treatments for PDR had extensive macular thickening/loss of foveal depression with ERM and underwent ERM peeling surgery were included. Surgeries were classified according to the use of IVB. Changes in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central macular thickness (CMT) were compared. Results: While IVB was applied to 9 eyes of 9 patients with a mean age of 65.8 years at the end of the surgery, IVB was not applied to 13 eyes of 13 patients with a mean age of 66.2 years. The mean BCVA was 0.78 and 0.72 logMAR preoperatively, 0.40 and 0.47 at postoperative 1st month, and 0.38 and 0.43 logMAR at postoperative 3rd month in IVB and control groups respectively. Mean BCVA change favored the IVB group, but the difference was not significant. The mean CMT was 417.53 and 397.6 µm preoperatively, 341.23 and 361.63 at postoperative 1st-month, and 312.34 and 341.37 µm at postoperative 3rd-month in IVB and control groups respectively. The change of CMT was found to be significantly higher in the IVB group in both the 1st-month (P=0.009) and 3rd-month (P=0.019). Discussion: Increased VEGF load due to PDR and traction due to ERM may be responsible for cases of macular thickening accompanied by ERM. It has been observed that the addition of IVB at the end of the surgery may have a positive effect on anatomical and functional results by targeting both possible etiopathogeneses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]