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Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy: Treatment Update

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Clinical Strategies in the Management of Diabetic Retinopathy

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Abstract

Proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) is a leading cause of vision loss, and it is characterized by retinal neovascularization at the disc (NVD) or elsewhere in the retina (NVE). Panretinal photocoagulation (PRP) has been the standard treatment for PDR for more than four decades. However, this destructive treatment may be associated with several side effects. For this reason, in recent years, new, more selective, laser treatment modalities have been studied in order to maintain efficacy while reducing side effects.

Many studies have implicated vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the pathogenesis of PDR, and it has also been shown that treatment with repeated injections of anti-VEGF can improve visual acuity in patients with PDR and cause regression of NV. Combining PRP with intravitreal anti-VEGF injections seems a promising strategy for selected cases, at least partially avoiding the limitations of a monotherapy approach.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine - Ophthalmology, University of Udine, Udine, Italy

    Daniele Veritti, Valentina Sarao, Francesco Samassa, Tommaso Gambato & Paolo Lanzetta

  2. Istituto Europeo di Microchirurgia Oculare (IEMO), Udine, Italy

    Daniele Veritti, Valentina Sarao & Paolo Lanzetta

  3. Institute of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Rutgers-New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ, USA

    Marco Attilio Zarbin

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  1. Daniele Veritti
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  2. Valentina Sarao
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  3. Francesco Samassa
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  4. Tommaso Gambato
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  5. Marco Attilio Zarbin
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  6. Paolo Lanzetta
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Correspondence to Paolo Lanzetta .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ophthalmology, Vita-Salute University, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy

    Francesco Bandello

  2. Institute of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Rutgers-New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ, USA

    Marco Attilio Zarbin

  3. Department of Ophthalmology, Vita-Salute University, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy

    Rosangela Lattanzio

  4. Department of Ophthalmology, Vita-Salute University, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy

    Ilaria Zucchiatti

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Veritti, D., Sarao, V., Samassa, F., Gambato, T., Zarbin, M.A., Lanzetta, P. (2019). Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy: Treatment Update. In: Bandello, F., Zarbin, M., Lattanzio, R., Zucchiatti, I. (eds) Clinical Strategies in the Management of Diabetic Retinopathy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-96157-6_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-96157-6_5

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