Program list

SYMPOSIUM: FUNDAMENTALS
Moderators: Khaled El-Rakhawy, Cesare Forlini
Sunday, September 14th, 2003 ; 8:15 - 12:35

VASCULAR ENDOTHELIAL GROWTH FACTOR LEVELS IN THE VITREOUS AND SERUM OF PATIENTS WITH PROLIFERATIVE DIABETIC RETINOPATHY AND PVR.
Maria Sydorova,MD*, Rimma Scripnik,MD
Department of Ophthalmology, National Medical University of Ukraine,
Kiev, Ukraine

Purpose: To study the role vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the pathogenesis of the proliferation in the cases with diabetes mellitus and in the proliferative vitreoretinopathy.
Methods: The presence of VEGF was assessed by monoclonal antibodies in the vitreus after vitrectomy in 18 patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) and in 15 patients with proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVP).
Results: The average level of VEGF in the vitreus of patients with PDR was 112,8 10,9 ng/ml, while the same parameter in patients with PVP was only 104,5 9,2 ng/ml. In the healthy eyes the vitreus level of the VEGF was 45,3 5,1 ng/ml. The serum level of VEGF in both groups with PDR and PVP differed significantly and was 98,6 8,7 ng/ml and 54,8 6,2 ng/ml respectively.
Conslusions: VEGF is involved in the pathogenesis and progression of diabetic proliferative retinopathy as the local intravitreal and systemic vasoproliferative factor, but in the cases with proliferative vitreoretinopathy VEGF plays only local intraocular role in the proliferative processes.
Take-home message: The findings suggest the possibility of treatment of proliferative diabetic retinopathy proliferative vitreoretinopathy using anti- VRGF components.