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. 2022 Sep 13;11(18):5361.
doi: 10.3390/jcm11185361.

The Relationship between the Aqueous VEGF Level and the Severity of Type 1 Retinopathy of Prematurity

Tianwei Liang  1   2 , Zhuyun Qian  3 , Yong Tao  4 , Yaguang Peng  5 , Yanhui Cui  1   2 , Chengyue Zhang  1   6 , Chunxia Peng  1   2 , Lili Liu  1   2 , Man Hu  1   2 , Li Li  1   2 , Ningdong Li  1   2
Affiliations

The Relationship between the Aqueous VEGF Level and the Severity of Type 1 Retinopathy of Prematurity

Tianwei Liang et al. J Clin Med. .

Abstract

Purpose: To analyze the relationship between the severity of type 1 retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) and the level of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in aqueous fluid.

Methods: The aqueous VEGF levels of 49 patients (88 eyes) with type 1 ROP were retrospectively analyzed. These eyes were categorized into three groups according to the severity of disease: aggressive retinopathy of prematurity (A-ROP), threshold of ROP (T-ROP), and type 1 pre-threshold ROP (P-T-1). The differences in aqueous VEGF levels among these three groups were compared. The relationship between the aqueous VEGF level and the retinal changes of ROP, including the vessel tortuosity in zone I, and the location and stage of the ROP lesions, were also analyzed.

Results: The aqueous VEGF level of the A-ROP group was the highest among the three groups, followed by those of the T-ROP and P-T-1 groups. The aqueous VEGF level was negatively correlated with the zone and the stage of the ROP diseases, while it was positively correlated with the venous tortuosity in zone I and had no relevance with the artery tortuosity in zone I.

Conclusions: The aqueous VEGF level in A-ROP was the highest in type I ROP. The location of the ROP lesions and the venous tortuosity in zone I correlated with the aqueous VEGF level and could indicate the severity of ROP.

Keywords: fundus examination; plus disease; retinopathy of prematurity; vascular endothelial growth factor.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Fundus photographs demonstrating the results of the fundus examinations, including the vessel tortuosity in zone I, and the location and stage of ROP lesions. (A) Female, GA 33 W + 6, BW 1900 g, PMA 38 W, right eye, A-ROP with zone I stage 3 disease (white arrowhead) and intraretinal hemorrhage (red arrowhead). Artery and venous tortuosity were graded as mild (black arrow) and severe (white arrow), respectively. (B,C) Male, GA 30 W + 4, BW 1500 g, PMA 41 W + 2, right eye, T-ROP with anterior zone II stage 3 disease (white arrowhead) and intraretinal hemorrhage (red arrowhead). Artery and venous tortuosity were graded as severe (black arrow) and mild (white arrow), respectively. (D,E) Male, GA 30 W + 4, BW 1500 g, PMA 41 W + 2, left eye, P-T-1 with anterior zone II stage 3 disease (white arrowhead) and intraretinal hemorrhage (red arrowhead). Artery and venous tortuosity were graded as mild (black arrow) and moderate (white arrow), respectively. Stage 2 disease (black arrowhead) was also presented in this eye. (F) Male, GA 30 W + 5, BW 1700 g, PMA 36 W + 6, right eye, P-T-1 with posterior zone II stage 1 disease (green arrowhead). Artery (black arrow) and venous (white arrow) tortuosity were both graded as moderate.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Scatterplot showing the negative correlation between the PMA and the aqueous VEGF level.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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