The Bayley scale for assessing the impact of the angiogenesis inhibitor aflibercept on the development of children born prematurely

Retinopathy of prematurity in active forms forms retinal detachment, sharply limiting visual functions leading to poor vision and blindness, the timely use of vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitors can increase the effectiveness of retinopathy of prematurity treatment. The effect on pathological angiogenesis in retinopathy of prematurity has no experience of widespread use and is an innovative method in ophthalmological practice.
Purpose. To evaluate the effect of the angiogenesis inhibitor aflibercept on the neuro-cognitive functions of premature infants with retinopathy of prematurity.
Material and methods. The prospective cohort study included 20 premature infants diagnosed with retinopathy of prematurity who were treated with the vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitor aflibercept between 2021 and 2022. The ophthalmological status and neuro-cognitive development of patients were assessed according to the Bailey III scale: cognitive, linguistic (receptive and expressive communication), motor (fine and large motor skills).
Results. Hypermetropic refraction was detected in 16 out of 20 patients, and myopic refraction in 4 patients. According to the results of an electrophysiological study (visual evoked potentials), the average amplitude of the P100 component (PpAmp) was 17.5 ± 2.5. The children’s neuro-cognitive and motor skills did not lag behind chronological age. 80% of the subjects showed a slight lag in language skills.
Conclusions. The study shows a moderate decrease in the development of the visual analyzer in children with retinopathy of prematurity. The results of the work showed the absence of toxic effects of aflibercept on the central nervous system, neuro-cognitive and motor skills do not lag behind chronologically, however, language skills in 80% of children have a slight lag, which may be due to a history of posthypoxic damage to the central nervous system in a premature baby

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