Abstract
Purpose: :
To study the effect on untreated fellow eyes of eyes treated with an intravitreal injection of bevacizumab.
Methods: :
Bevacizumab (1.25 mg/0.05 ml) was injected into the vitreous cavity of one eye (the first eye) as a preoperative adjunctive therapy for proliferative diabetic retinopathy; vitrectomy was performed 1 week later. Immediately after vitrectomy, bevacizumab (1.25 mg/0.05 ml) was injected into the fellow eye (the second eye) followed by vitrectomy 1 week later. Aqueous humor samples were obtained from both eyes in four cases just before intravitreal injection of bevacizumab and just before vitrectomy 1 week later. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) concentrations in the aqueous humor were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).
Results: :
VEGF concentrations in the aqueous humor of the first eyes ranged from 146 to 392 pg/ml (mean, 278±98) before intravitreal injection of bevacizumab, 1 week later, VEGF concentrations of the injected eyes were less than 31 pg/ml, the lower limit of the ELISA, in all cases (p < 0.001).The concentrations in the uninjected fellow eyes ranged 181 to 551 pg/mL (mean, 384±133 pg/mL) .
Conclusions: :
There seemed to be no or a minimal effect of the intravitreal injections of bevacizumab on the uninjected fellow eyes.
Keywords: diabetic retinopathy • vascular endothelial growth factor • aqueous