• Glauco Reggiani Mello, Marcos Longo Pizzolatti, Daniel Wasilewski, Marcony R Santhiago, Vinícius Budel, and Hamilton Moreira.
• Cole Eye Institute, Cleveland, OH, USA. glaucohrm@gmail.com
• Clinics (Sao Paulo). 2011 Jan 1;66(8):1443-50.

PurposeTo evaluate the use of subconjunctival bevacizumab on corneal neovascularization in an experimental rabbit model for its effect on vessel extension, inflammation, and corneal epithelialization.MethodsIn this prospective, randomized, blinded, experimental study, 20 rabbits were submitted to a chemical trauma with sodium hydroxide and subsequently divided into two groups. The experimental group received a subconjunctival injection of bevacizumab (0.15 m; 3.75 mg), and the control group received an injection of 0.15 ml saline solution. After 14 days, two blinded digital photograph analyses were conducted to evaluate the inflammation/diameter of the vessels according to pre-established criteria. A histopathological analysis of the cornea evaluated the state of the epithelium and the number of polymorphonuclear cells.ResultsA concordance analysis using Kappa's statistic showed a satisfactory level of agreement between the two blinded digital photography analyses. The neovascular vessel length was greater in the control group (p<0.01) than in the study group. However, the histopathological examination revealed no statistically significant differences between the groups in terms of the state of the epithelium and the number of polymorphonuclear cells.ConclusionsSubconjunctival bevacizumab inhibited neovascularization in the rabbit cornea. However, this drug was not effective at reducing inflammation. The drug did not induce persistent corneal epithelial defects.

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