Different Dosages of Intravitreal Triamcinolone Acetonide Injections for Macular Edema Secondary to Central Retinal Vein Occlusion

PURPOSE: To study the effect of intravitreal injections of triamcinolone acetonide (TA) for the treatment of macular edema secondary to central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) in a sample of Chinese patients from Shaanxi province. METHODS: The 50 eyes from 50 patients were separated into three TA treatment groups: 17 patients were given 4mg /0.1ml, 19 patients were given 8mg /0.2ml, and 14 patients were given 16mg /0.4ml. Patients were followed up for 12 months. Foveal thickness, intraocular pressure (IOP), and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) were measured. RESULTS: Macular edema responded well both anatomically and functionally to the TA injections. After the initial intravitreal injection, macular edema recurred at 2-4 months in the low-dose group (4 mg), at 3-5 months in the medium-dose group (8 mg), and at 6-9 months in the high-dose group (16 mg). No significant difference in BCVA or in foveal thickness were observed between the first intravitreal injection and the re-injection. There was no increase in IOP after re-injection of 16mg TA, if the patient did not have an elevated IOP after the initial intravitreal injection of 4/8 mg TA. CONCLUSION: A low dosage of TA(4 mg) administered via intravitreal injection might be useful as an initial treatment for macular edema secondary to CRVO. A higher dosage of TA (16mg) can be used if there is no IOP elevation with the initial TA injection.