Ergin Ece, Dascalu Ana Maria, Stana Daniela, Tribus Laura Carina, Arsene Andreea Letitia, Nedea Marina Ionela, Serban Dragos, Nistor Claudiu Eduard, Tudor Corneliu, Dumitrescu Dan, Stoica Paul Lorin, Cristea Bogdan Mihai
Doctoral School, "Carol Davila" University of Medicine and Pharmacy Bucharest, 020021 Bucharest, Romania.
Ophthalmology Department, Emergency University Hospital Bucharest, 050098 Bucharest, Romania.
Biomedicines. 2025 May 27;13(6):1308. doi: 10.3390/biomedicines13061308.
Diabetic macular edema (DME) is the leading cause of vision impairment in diabetic patients, with intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) injections being the first-line therapy. However, one-third of patients exhibit persistent DME despite treatment, suggesting additional pathogenic factors. This study aimed to evaluate the predictive value of complete blood count (CBC)-based inflammation indexes and optical coherence tomography (OCT) parameters in determining early anti-VEGF treatment effectiveness in DME. One hundred and four naïve patients with DME, treated with 0.05 mL of intravitreal aflibercept were retrospectively analyzed. Blood parameters analyzed included neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and systemic immune-inflammation index (SII). Baseline OCT biomarkers included subretinal fluid (SRF), intraretinal cysts (IRC), hyperreflective retinal spots (HRS), and disorganization of retinal inner layers (DRIL). Treatment response was defined as a minimum 10% reduction in central macular thickness (CMT) at one month post-injection. NLR, MLR, PLR, and SII were significantly higher in non-responders ( < 0.001), but their predictive value was fair, with an area under the ROC curve ranging between 0.704 (MLR) and 0.788 (SII). A multivariate model including SII, initial CMT, and the presence of IRC showed an excellent prediction value for early anatomical response (AUC ROC of 0.911). At the same time, lower PLR, DRIL, SRF, and the absence of HRF were correlated with early gain in BCVA. CBC-derived inflammation indices and OCT biomarkers have prognostic value in predicting early response to anti-VEGF therapy in DME in terms of functional and anatomical outcomes. These findings could help identify poor responders and guide personalized treatment strategies.
糖尿病性黄斑水肿(DME)是糖尿病患者视力损害的主要原因,玻璃体内注射抗血管内皮生长因子(抗VEGF)是一线治疗方法。然而,尽管接受了治疗,仍有三分之一的患者出现持续性DME,提示存在其他致病因素。本研究旨在评估基于全血细胞计数(CBC)的炎症指标和光学相干断层扫描(OCT)参数在确定DME早期抗VEGF治疗效果方面的预测价值。对104例初治DME患者进行回顾性分析,这些患者接受了0.05 mL玻璃体内阿柏西普治疗。分析的血液参数包括中性粒细胞与淋巴细胞比值(NLR)、单核细胞与淋巴细胞比值(MLR)、血小板与淋巴细胞比值(PLR)和全身免疫炎症指数(SII)。基线OCT生物标志物包括视网膜下液(SRF)、视网膜内囊肿(IRC)、高反射性视网膜斑点(HRS)和视网膜内层紊乱(DRIL)。治疗反应定义为注射后1个月中心黄斑厚度(CMT)至少降低10%。无反应者的NLR、MLR、PLR和SII显著更高(<0.001),但其预测价值一般,ROC曲线下面积在0.704(MLR)至0.788(SII)之间。一个包括SII、初始CMT和IRC存在情况的多变量模型对早期解剖学反应显示出优异的预测价值(AUC ROC为0.911)。同时,较低的PLR、DRIL、SRF以及无HRF与早期最佳矫正视力(BCVA)改善相关。CBC衍生的炎症指标和OCT生物标志物在预测DME抗VEGF治疗的早期功能和解剖学结局反应方面具有预后价值。这些发现有助于识别无反应者并指导个性化治疗策略。