[Efficacy and Safety of Intravitreal Injection of Bevacizumab in the Treatment of Neovascular Glaucoma: Systematic Review]

Purpose: Systematic review on efficacy and safety of intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) in the treatment of neovascular glaucoma (NVG). All original papers published in Medline (prior to August 2008) were included.

Methods: Search and selection of information on the internet and in Medline, validated by Kappa Index (K). Statistical and clinical study of the results in the selected articles on a one by one basis.

Results: 26 original papers analyzed the efficacy and safety of the procedure in case reports and short series of cases (127 eyes). The efficacy calculated in the sample was 68.7% and the recurrence rate was 18.6% in 4.2 months of follow-up. All studies were after 2006 and none of them was a clinical randomized controlled assay. Ophthalmic complications were under 0.78% and no systemic complications were found.

Conclusions: The use of bevacizumab demonstrates that intravitreal injections may be effective and useful to manipulate growth factors in the anterior chamber. IVB could serve as a first line treatment for NVG. Clinical trials are needed to confirm these results before its use is authorized.