%0 Journal Article
%T Does Anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Treatment Delay Photoreceptor Maturation in Preterm Infants?
%A El£¿in S¨¹ren
%A Ersan £¿etinkaya
%A Mehmet Fatih K¨¹£¿¨¹k
%A Musatafa Kalayc£¿
%A Muhammet Kazim Erol
%J Open Journal of Ophthalmology
%P 10-20
%@ 2165-7416
%D 2020
%I Scientific Research Publishing
%R 10.4236/ojoph.2020.101002
%X Purpose: To investigate the effects of
intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) for treatment of type-1 or aggressive posterior
retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) on photoreceptor maturation in preterm infants
using spectral domain optical coherence
tomography (SD-OCT). Methods: A study group of 36 patients with ROP
treated with anti-VEGF therapy was compared to a control group of 80 patients
with ROP. All patients had undergone SD-OCT imaging at least once between 40 and 44 weeks
post-menstrual age (PMA). Two imaging
specialists evaluated the images for ellipsoid zone (EZ) development, cystoid
macular edema (CME), sub-retinal fluid (SRF) at the fovea, and cone outer
segment tips (COST). The outer nuclear layer thickness and the distance from
the EZ to the central fovea was measured. Results: EZ development was
observed in 18 (50%) patients in the study group and 68 (85%) in the control
group (p = 0.002). CME was observed in 17 (47.2%) patients in the study group
and 17 (21.2%) in the control group. The distance between the EZ and central
fovea was 868 ¡À 440 ¦Ìm in the study group and 725 ¡À 380 ¦Ìm in the control group
(p = 0.02). COST was not observed in any patient. Regression analysis indicated
that anti-VEGF treatment and CME affect EZ development. Conclusions: Early photoreceptor maturation is correlated with preterm birth week but not ROP stage. Anti-VEGF treatment delays
photoreceptor maturation in preterm infan