Premature infants receiving ROP treatment show personal-social development delay

Premature infants treated for Type 1 retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) and aggressive ROP (A-ROP) with intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) and intravitreal aflibercept (IVA) may experience delay in personal and social development compared to untreated infants, according to a study.

The prospective-controlled study, encompassed 3 groups: those treated with intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB, Group 1), those treated with intravitreal aflibercept (IVA, Group 2), and a control group (Group 3) comprising patients who did not receive any treatment. Patients were stratified into low, intermediate, and high-risk categories based on the high-risk infant follow-up guide.

The groups exhibited similar gender distributions, birth weights (BW), and neonatal risk categories. However, Group 1 demonstrated a lower gestational age (GA) compared to Group 3. When assessing fine and gross motor movements, communication, problem-solving skills, and personal-social development through the ASQ-3 test, no significant disparities emerged between the treatment and control groups in terms of motor movements, communication, or problem-solving abilities.

However, concerning personal and social development, both Group 1 and Group 2 displayed signs of retardation when compared to the control group.

“As a result, the detection of growth retardation in the personal and social areas in the treated patients, and the detection of growth retardation in other areas, although not significant, reveals the necessity of following the development of these patient groups and providing the necessary support in the areas where retardation is detected,” the study authors concluded.

Reference
Baysal SG, Ekinci DY, Okur N. Neurodevelopment of patients who received intravitreal bevacizumab or aflibercept for type 1 and aggressive retinopathy of prematurity. Eur J Ophthalmol. 2023;doi: 10.1177/11206721231200666. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37680054.