Effects of Intravitreal Ranibizumab in the Treatment of Retinopathy of Prematurity in Chinese Infants

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy associated with intravitreal ranibizumab in the treatment of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP).Methods: A retrospective case series study. Infants diagnosed with Type 1 ROP, or aggressive posterior ROP (AP-ROP) were enrolled in the study. All infants in the study received intravitreal ranibizumab (0.25 mg/0.025 ml) as the initial treatment. Follow-up examinations were performed the day after treatment, then weekly for 1 month, bi-monthly for two additional months, then monthly until vascularization of zone III occurred. Additional treatments were initiated in cases of disease recurrence.Results: Thirty-three premature infants (a total of 66 eyes) receiving intravitreal ranibizumab were included. The mean birth weight was 1291 211 g (range: 650-1650 g) and the mean gestational age was 29.8 +/- 1.6 weeks (range: 27.0-33.6 weeks). The mean gestational age at the time of the first injection was 35.8 +/- 1.6 weeks (range: 32.7-38.4 weeks). The mean follow-up time was 12.9 +/- 4.9 months (range: 6-22 months). Single injections were administered to 58 eyes (87.9%), whereas eight eyes (12.1%) received additional treatments. Recurrence was observed in eight eyes (12.1%), with a mean time to recurrence of 6.9 +/- 1.8 weeks (range: 4-8 weeks).Conclusion: Intravitreal ranibizumab is effective for the treatment of retinopathy of prematurity, although a small amount of patients recurred. Compared with intravitreal bevacizumab, a higher incidence and shorter time to recurrence were observed after intravitreal ranibizumab treatment, thus longer and more frequent follow-ups are needed.