Intravitreal injection of conbercept during vitrectomy surgery to treat severe proliferative diabetic retinopathy

Objective

To observe and analysis the clinical effects and postoperative complications of intravitreal injection of conbercept during vitrectomy surgery (VRS) in severe proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) treatment.

Methods

This is a prospective non-randomized controlled clinical study.A total of fifty-seven patients (sixty eyes) with severe PDR were enrolled in Tianjin Eye Hospital from June 2015 to March 2016, and the patients were divided into conbercept injection group and control group according to the patients’ surgical method intention selection.The patients in conbercept injection group received an intravitreal injection of 0.05 ml conbercept solution during the surgery.The patients in control group only received VRS.The operations of the two groups were completed by the same doctor, and the follow-up time was 6 to 10 months after the surgery.The incidence of postoperative complications including a transient high intraocular pressure, early and late incidence of vitreous hemorrhage(VH), epiretinal membrane and traction retinal detachment(TRD), neovascular glaucoma(NVG), the central retinal thickness(CRT) and the best corrected visual acuity(BCVA)(LogMAR visual acuity) were comparatively analyzed.

Results

The incidence of early VH was 6.7%(2/30) in conbercept injection group, which was significantly lower than 26.7%(8/30) in control group (χ²=4.32, P=0.04). The incidences of late VH were 3.3%(1/30) and 10.0%(3/30) in conbercept injection group and control group, and the differences had no statistically significant difference (χ²=1.07, P>0.05). The incidences of a transient high intraocular pressure, TRD and NVG between the two groups had no statistically significant difference (χ²=0.69, 0.22, 2.07; all at P>0.05). The change of CRT from one week to one month after the operation in conbercept injection group was more remarkable than that in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (t=-3.23, P<0.05). The mean LogMAR BCVA in two groups at 1 month and 6 months after operation were both improved in different degrees compared with the preoperative vision.The difference of mean LogMAR BCVA at 6 months was statistically significant (P<0.05).

Conclusions

The intravitreal injection of conbercept during VRS in severe PDR patients can effectively prevent postoperative early VH, decrease CRT and improve visual acuity.