Use of anti-VEGFs in ROP still a concern for organogenesis, neurodevelopment

There may be a rationale for using anti-VEGFs in cases of severe retinopathy of prematurity to prevent neovascularization, but concerns exist about the possible detrimental effects of VEGF suppression on the organogenesis and neurodevelopment of preterm infants.A study published earlier this year in JAMA Ophthalmology showed that Avastin (bevacizumab, Genentech) remained in the systemic circulation for as long as 8 weeks after intravitreal injection and that VEGF expression was inhibited for that time. And the same authors showed in a 2-year retrospective study, unpublished but presented at the American Society of Retina Specialists meeting in Vienna, that patients treated with intravitreal bevacizumab and laser had a higher incidence of significant mental (P = .028) and psychomotor (P = .002) impairment at 24 months than patients treated with laser alone.