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Alterations in Retinal Vessel Diameters in Patients with Retinal Vein Occlusion before and after Treatment with Intravitreal Ranibizumab - PubMed

Alterations in Retinal Vessel Diameters in Patients with Retinal Vein Occlusion before and after Treatment with Intravitreal Ranibizumab - PubMed

Source : https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36836585/

Purpose : To investigate the alterations of retinal vessel diameters in patients with macular edema secondary to retinal vein occlusion (RVO), before and after treatment with intravitreal ranibizumab. Methods : Digital retinal images were obtained from 16 patients and retinal vessel diam ...


Conclusions: A significant vasoconstriction in both retinal arterioles and venules in patients with RVO was found at month 3 after intravitreal ranibizumab treatment compared to baseline. This could be of clinical importance, since the degree of vasoconstriction might be an early marker of treatment efficacy, compatible with the idea that hypoxia is the major trigger of VEGF in RVO. Further studies should be conducted to confirm our findings.


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    Key Points
    • Source: Journal of Personalized Medicine
    • Conclusion: “We found a significant vasoconstriction of both retinal arterioles and venules in patients with RVO [retinal vein occlusion] 3 months after intravitreal ranibizumab treatment compared to baseline. This could be of clinical importance, since the degree of vasoconstriction might be an early marker of treatment efficacy, consistent with the idea that hypoxia is the major trigger of VEGF in RVO. However, our results may reflect a return to the normal diameter after disease-induced vasodilation, rather than true vasoconstriction.”
    • During a 3-month follow-up, Greek researchers non-invasively assessed the retinal hemodynamic effects of intravitreal ranibizumab treatment in RVO in 17 eyes of 18 patients (mean age: 67 years) with macular edema due to RVO. Their hypothesis was that RVO is related to a vasoconstrictor effect on retinal vessels.
    • Diameters of both retinal arterioles and venules were significantly lower following intravitreal ranibizumab treatment, with a central retinal arteriolar equivalent of 215.2 ± 11.2 μm at baseline and 201.2 ± 11.1 μm at month 3 after treatment (p < ). On the other hand, the central retinal venular equivalent was 233.8 ± 29.6 μm before treatment compared with 207.6 ± 21.7 μm at month 3 after treatment (p < )
    • The main limitations of the current study are the small sample size and short follow-up. There was also no control group due to ethical reasons.