Loss to Follow-up in PDR Patients

Assiut University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Diabetic Retinopathy

Study type: Observational

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04018326

17300291

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study determined the clinical impact and causes of loss to follow-up (LTFU) from the patients' perspective in individuals with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) who received panretinal photocoagulation (PRP) and/or intravitreal injections (IVIs) of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF).

This prospective cohort study included 467 patients with PDR who received PRP and/or IVIs of anti-VEGF between May 2013 and June 2018. LTFU was defined as missing any follow-up visit for any interval exceeding 6 months, provided that patients eventually resumed care. Main outcome measures include rates and causes of LTFU.

Enrollment: 467 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 40 to 70 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• included treatment-naïve patients who had developed PDR in one eye with a best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) ranging from 20/22 to 20/69, as determined by the Snellen equivalent. Patients were allocated to receive PRP, IVIs of anti-VEGF, or a combination of both procedures.

Exclusion criteria

1. patients receiving follow-up ophthalmic care for their PDR with or without interventions at any other medical care provider during the observation period, as declared by the patients at any follow up visit.
2. patients LTFU who did not resume follow-up until the end of the observation period.
3. patients needing PPV at first presentation or having additional retinal pathology. 4) patients receiving their treatment procedure during December 2017 or having vitreous hemorrhage that failed to clear up by June 2018 but still ineligible candidates for PPV.

Trial design

467 participants in 2 patient groups

Compliant patients

Description:

The compliant patient was defined as a patient who did not miss any follow-up visit until the end of the study period.

Loss to follow-up (LTFU)

Description:

LTFU was defined as missing any follow-up visit for any interval exceeding 6 months provided that patients eventually resumed care before the end of the study period (time zero was defined as the date of the missed follow-up visit).