Proliferative diabetic retinopathy: Role of bevacizumab in decreasing the occurrence of vitreous hemorrhage after panretinal photocoagulation.

PURPOSE: To investigate the beneficial effect of bevacizumab injection one week prior to panretinal photocoagulation (PRP) on the occurrence of vitreous hemorrhage (VH) following PRP in high-risk proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR).

METHODS: This was a case-control pilot study conducted on two groups: an anti-VEGF treatment group, treated with bevacizumab injection one week prior to the first PRP session, and a control group of treatment-naive PDR patients who underwent PRP treatment and were not given an intravitreal bevacizumab injection, consecutively recruited. In both groups, a complete ophthalmological examination was conducted prior to PRP and at 4, 9, and 16 weeks following treatment. The primary endpoint studied was the occurrence of VH.

RESULTS: The control group included 69 patients (mean age 63±12.3 years) with high-risk PDR who received PRP treatment only, and the anti-VEGF treatment group included 67 patients (mean age 63.13±10.3 years). None of the demographic variables or comorbidities showed any significant difference between the two groups. The number of PRP sessions was not significantly correlated to the occurrence of VH in either of the groups (P=0.167). Vitreous hemorrhage within 16 weeks following laser treatment occurred in 10 patients (14.5%) in the control group and in only 3 patients (4.5%) in the anti-VEGF group (P=0.047).

CONCLUSION: Our case-control pilot study demonstrates that a bevacizumab injection preceding the initial PRP session might be beneficial in reducing the occurrence of VH in the first 16 weeks following PRP.