Efficacy and Safety of Aflibercept and Ranibizumab in the Treatment of Retinopathy of Prematurity

Abstract

Abstract To compare the efficacy, recurrence rate and recurrence interval of intravitreal injection of aflibercept (IVA) and ranibizumab (IVR) in patients with retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). From January 2018 to March 2023, neonates hospitalized in the Department of Neonatology of the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University who received intravitreal injection of anti-VEGF due to type 1 pre-threshold ROP, or threshold ROP, or aggressive posterior ROP (AP-ROP) were included, and clinical data were collected to record the cure, recurrence, times of injections and possible side effects of ROP. A total of 224 neonates (444 eyes) were enrolled in this study, of which 121 children (241 eyes) received IVA and 103 children (203 eyes) received IVR. The corrected gestational age of the first injection was 37.27 ± 3.07 weeks in the IVA group and 37.20 ± 4.89 weeks in the IVR group, there was no significant difference between the two groups (P = 0.582). The recurrence rate was 15.8% in the IVA group and 14.9% in the IVR group, the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.841). For relapsed infants, the PMA were 34.89 ± 3.49 weeks in the IVA group and 35.28 ± 4.43 weeks in the IVR group at the first treatment, The PMA were 43.69 ± 4.57 and 40.96 ± 4.98 weeks in the second treatment, respectively, with no significant difference between the two groups (P = 0.185). For the children who required the third treatment, there were 2 children in the IVA group, with PMAs of 58.71 and 57.29 weeks at the time of surgery, respectively, and 1 child in the IVR group, with a PMA of 43.14 weeks at the time of injection, and there was no significant difference between the two groups (P = 0.221). There were no complications recorded in both groups. The efficacy of aflibercept and ranibizumab in treating ROP are similar, and the safety of the medications are good, which provides a new option for ophthalmologists to treat ROP.