rss
Br J Ophthalmol doi:10.1136/bjo.2007.128025

Intravitreal Triamcinolone Acetonide Combined with Subthreshold Grid Laser Treatment for Macular Edema in Branch Retinal Vein Occlusion: A Pilot Study

  1. Maurizio Battaglia Parodi (maubp{at}yahoo.it),
  2. Pierluigi Iacono (pierluigi.iacono{at}libero.it),
  3. Giuseppe Ravalico
  1. Eye Clinic, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria of Trieste, Italy
  2. Fondazione G. B. Bietti per l'Oftalmologia, IRCCS, Roma, Italy
  3. Eye Clinic, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria of Trieste, Italy
    • Published Online First 12 June 2008

    Abstract

    Background: To compare the effectiveness of subthreshold grid laser treatment (SGLT) with infrared micropulse diode laser alone or in combination with intravitreal triamcinolone injection (SGLT-IVTJ) for the treatment of macular edema (ME) secondary to branch retinal vein occlusion(BRVO)

    Methods: Pilot randomized clinical trial including 24 patients (24 eyes) who were randomized either to the SGLT (13 eyes), or to SGLT-IVTJ (11 eyes). Complete ophthalmic examinations, including ETDRS visual acuity, OCT, and fluorescein angiography were performed at the moment of the study entry and at 3-month intervals, with a planned follow-up of 12 months. Main Outcome measures were the decrease in mean foveal thickness (MFT) on OCT, and the proportion of eyes that gained at least 10 letters (approximately 2 or more lines of visual acuity gain) at the 12-month examination. Secondary outcomes were the decrease in mean total macular volume on OCT, and the timing of ME resolution.

    Results: The change in MFT from the initial values was statistically significant for the SGLT-IVTJ from the 3-month examination and for the SGLP from the 6-month examination (P <0.001). At the 12-month evaluation 10 patients of the SGLT-IVTJ group (91%) and 8 of the SGLT group (62%) gained at least 10 letters (2 lines) in visual acuity. The mean number of lines gained was 3.4 and 1.3 in the SGLT-IVTJ and in the SGLT group, respectively.

    Conclusions: The combined SGLT-IVT treatment of ME secondary to BRVO allows a significant visual acuity improvement, when compared with simple grid laser treatment.

    This Article

    1. Abstract
    2. PDF
    3. All versions of this article:
      1. bjo.2007.128025v1
      2. 92/8/1046most recent

    Responses

    1. Submit a response
    2. No responses published

    Register for free content

    The full back archive is now available for all BMJ Journals. Institutional subscribers may access the entire archive as part of their subscription. Personal subscribers will also have access to all content when logged in. Non-subscribers who register have free access to all articles published before 2006 right back to volume 1 issue 1. Register here to access the free archive of all BMJ Journals.

    Don't forget to sign up for content alerts so you keep up to date with all the articles as they are published.