Intravitreal triamcinolone injection for chronic diffuse diabetic macular oedema

PURPOSE: To determine the efficacy and safety of intravitreal triamcinolone in chronic diffuse diabetic macular oedema. METHODS: This prospective, interventional consecutive case series study consisted of 59 eyes (36 patients) with chronic diffuse diabetic macular oedema, which received an intravitreal injection of 4 mg triamcinolone acetonide. The results were evaluated by clinical examination and fluorescein angiography. Potential complications such as a rise in intraocular pressure, cataract progression and endophthalmitis were recorded. RESULTS: All patients completed at least 6 months follow up. The mean visual acuity improved significantly from 0.17 +/- 3.4 to a maximum of 0.30 +/- 3.3 at the third postinjection month (P < 0.01). Mean improvements in visual acuity measured were 2.15 +/- 1.66, 2.42 +/- 2.66, 1.13 +/- 2.74, 0.96 +/- 2.01 and 0.08 +/- 2.34 lines at the 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months follow-up intervals, respectively. In all eyes in fluorescein angiography, macular oedema was resolved (63%) or decreased (37%) during the follow up. However, the macular oedema reached the pretreatment level in 29 (49%) of the eyes at 6 months and 15 of 21 eyes (71%) at 9 months after injection. Intraocular pressure exceeded 21 mmHg in 10 eyes, which were controlled by topical medication. Four eyes showed cataract progression. Endophthalmitis was not observed in any of the eyes. CONCLUSIONS: Intravitreal injection of 4 mg triamcinolone acetonide appears to be an effective and relatively safe therapeutic method for diffuse diabetic macular oedema. Further studies are warranted to assess the long-term efficacy, safety and the need for reinjection.     

Intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide versus combined intravitreal bevacizumab and dexamethasone in diffuse diabetic macular oedema

Background: To compare the efficacy of a single injection of combined intravitreal dexamethasone and bevacizumab (Avastin) with that of intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide in eyes with diffuse cystoid diabetic macular oedema. Design: Prospective, non‐randomized, masked, interventional case series. Participants: Twenty‐four eyes of 24 subjects with centre‐involved diabetic macular oedema extending over two disc‐areas with predominant cystic changes on spectral domain optical coherence tomography were selected. Methods: Ten phakic and two pseudophakic, ocular hypertensive eyes received intravitreal dexamethasone and bevacizumab as against 12 pseudophakic, normotensive eyes that received intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide. Main Outcome Measures: Change in central macular volume on spectral domain optical coherence tomography and best‐corrected visual acuity were measured at 6‐week follow‐up. Results: Baseline data were matched in both groups. Post‐injection central macular volume (7.46 ± 0.73 mm³) was significantly lower (P < 0.001) in the intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide group when compared with its pre‐injection central macular volume (9.11 ± 1.0 mm³) or when compared with the post‐injection central macular volume (P = 0.02) of the intravitreal dexamethasone and bevacizumab group (8.42 ± 1.18 mm³). However, post‐injection best‐corrected visual acuity between the intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide (0.65 ± 0.15 logMAR) and the intravitreal dexamethasone and bevacizumab groups (0.685 ± 0.15 logMAR) was not significantly different (P = 0.06) at 6 weeks. No significant correlation was noted between change in central macular volume and change in best‐corrected visual acuity (r = 0.35, P = 0.07) from the pooled data of both the groups. A fair correlation was noted between change in central macular volume and pre‐injection central macular volume (r = 0.55, P = 0.005). Conclusions: Intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide may be more effective than intravitreal dexamethasone and bevacizumab in reducing macular volume in patients with diffuse cystoid diabetic macular oedema. A significant reduction in macular volume does not necessarily translate into a correspondingly significant improvement in best‐corrected visual acuity.     

Intravitreal injection of crystalline triamcinolone acetonide in the treatment of diffuse diabetic macular oedema

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the clinical outcome of an intravitreal injection of crystalline triamcinolone acetonide as treatment of clinically significant diffuse diabetic macular oedema. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study included 8 patients (10 eyes) who received an intravitreal injection of 25 mg crystalline triamcinolone acetonide as treatment of clinically significant diffuse diabetic macular oedema follow-up time was 3.48 +/- 3.25 months (mean +/- SD). The study group was compared with a control group of 16 patients with diffuse diabetic macular oedema who underwent grid laser coagulation of the macular region. RESULTS: In the study group, visual acuity increased significantly (p = 0.03) from 0.11 +/- 0.09 at baseline of the study to a maximum of 0.19 +/- 0.13 during the follow-up period. Six (85.7 %) of the seven eyes with a follow-up period of more than 4 weeks gained in visual acuity. Towards the end of the follow-up period, the triamcinolone acetonide crystals completely resolved and visual acuity decreased to 0.15 +/- 0.11, which was higher, but not significantly (p = 0.14) higher than the baseline value. Visual acuity was significantly (p < 0.05) higher in the study group than in the control group for the examinations obtained up to 12 weeks after the injection. CONCLUSIONS: Intravitreal injection of 25 mg crystalline triamcinolone acetonide may be beneficial for temporarily increasing visual acuity in patients with clinically significant diffuse diabetic macular oedema.     

玻璃体腔内注射曲安奈德治疗糖尿病性弥漫性黄斑水肿

目的:观察玻璃体腔内注射曲安奈德治疗糖尿病性弥漫性黄斑水肿的疗效。方法:经检眼镜、光相干断层扫描及荧光素眼底血管造影检查证实的糖尿病性弥漫性黄斑水肿患者25例(25眼),玻璃体腔内注射40g/L的曲安奈德0.1mL,随访6mo,对比观察治疗前后视力、眼压及黄斑区视网膜厚度变化。结果:治疗后1,3,6mo,平均视力分别为0.20±0.15,0.35±0.20,0.21±0.18,与治疗前的0.08±0.04相比,其差异具有统计学意义;黄斑区视网膜厚度分别为360.7±50.2,263.2±60.1,313.5±86.4μm,与治疗前的463.4±105.1μm相比,其差异具有统计学意义。结论:玻璃体腔内注射曲安奈德治疗糖尿病性弥漫性黄斑水肿短期内能有效改善黄斑水肿,提高视力,但其长期疗效和安全性需进一步研究。     

玻璃体内注射曲安奈德联合黄斑部格栅样光凝治疗弥漫性糖尿病性黄斑水肿

目的　评价玻璃体内注射曲安奈德（ｔｒｉａｍｃｉｎｏｌｏｎｅａｃｅｔｏｎｉｄｅ,ＴＡ）联合黄斑部格栅样光凝治疗弥漫性糖尿病性黄斑水肿（ｄｉａｂｅｔｉｃｍａｃｕｌａｒｅｄｅｍａ,ＤＭＥ）短期的临床疗效和安全性。方法　将３５例（３９眼）弥漫性ＤＭＥ患者根据治疗方法不同分为２组,分别为单纯ＴＡ治疗组（２４眼）和联合治疗组（ＴＡ注射联合黄斑部格栅样光凝术,１５眼）。其中联合治疗组在ＴＡ注射１个月后行黄斑部格栅样光凝术,距ＴＡ注射术后３个月、６个月分别观察２组患者最佳矫正视力、眼压、裂隙灯显微镜、彩色眼底照相、ＯＣＴ及并发症情况。结果　治疗后３个月,单纯ＴＡ治疗组和联合治疗组最佳矫正视力分别为０．１６±０．０８、０．１６±０．１７,黄斑中心凹视网膜厚度分别为（２７２．２±５９．４）μｍ、（２７９．０±９８．９）μｍ,眼压分别为（１５．４±４．３）ｍｍＨｇ（１ｋＰａ＝７．５ｍｍＨｇ）、（１４．９±３．２）ｍｍＨｇ,２组间最佳矫正视力、黄斑中心凹视网膜厚度和眼压比较差异均无统计学意义（均为Ｐ＞０．０５）;治疗后６个月,单纯ＴＡ治疗组和联合治疗组最佳矫正视力分别为０．２７±０．０３、０．２８±０．１５,黄斑中心凹视网膜厚度分别为（２８９．２±３３．９）μｍ、（２４８．０±１０２．７）μｍ,眼压分别为（１５．５±２．３）ｍｍＨｇ、（１５．１±３．５）ｍｍＨｇ,２组间最佳矫正视力、黄斑中心凹视网膜厚度和眼压比较差异亦均无统计学意义（均为Ｐ＞０．０５）。与治疗前视力相比,两组在治疗后３个月、６个月均有所提高,与治疗前黄斑中心凹视网膜厚度相比,两组均有所下降,与治疗前眼压相比,两组无明显变化。结论　与单纯ＴＡ注射相比,玻璃体内注射ＴＡ联合黄斑部格栅样光凝治疗弥漫性ＤＭＥ短期内疗效和安全性并不占据明显优势。鉴于本次病例观察时间较短,尤其再次治疗的患者例数较少,故其远期疗效、安全性仍有待大样本的长期观察。     

Intravitreal triamcinolone as a primary therapy in diabetic macular oedema

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of intravitreal triamcinolone in eyes with diabetic macular oedema that had no previous laser treatment. METHODS: In all, 12 eyes of 12 patients with diabetic retinopathy, aged 47-70 years (mean 59.2), made up the study. All the eyes had persistent diabetic macular oedema despite having received medical treatment for at least 3 months. In this consecutive case series, none of the eyes received previous laser photocoagulation. Intravitreal injection of 0.1 ml (4 mg) triamcinolone acetonide was offered to treat macular oedema. The visual and anatomic responses were observed as well as complications related to the injection procedure and corticosteroid medication. RESULTS: The follow-up period was between 6 and 10 months (mean 7.9 months) and all eyes completed 6 months of follow-up. Macular oedema was documented for an average of 3.5 months (ranged 3-5 months) before intravitreal corticosteroid injection. Baseline mean central macular thickness was 448.6 microm. At 1 month follow-up, a reduction in mean central macular thickness of 40.8% from 448.6 microm to 265.4 microm was obtained. At 3 and 6 months follow-up, mean central macular thicknesses, were 310 mum and 294.5 mum, respectively. No eyes lost vision at 1 month and 10 eyes (83.2%) showed improvement. At 3 months, no eyes lost vision from baseline and 8 eyes (66.6%) showed improvement. At 6 months, again no eyes lost vision from baseline and 10 eyes (83.2%) maintained improved visual acuity. CONCLUSIONS: Intravitreal triamcinolone is a promising therapeutic method in eyes with diabetic macular oedema without previous application of laser treatment. Further study with longer follow-up and large series is warranted to assess the long-term efficacy and safety and the need for retreatment.     

Intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide for diffuse diabetic macular oedema: 6-month results of a prospective controlled trial

PURPOSE: To evaluate prospectively the efficacy and safety of one intravitreal injection of 4 mg triamcinolone acetonide for refractory diffuse diabetic macular edema. METHODS: Seventeen patients with bilateral diabetic macular edema unresponsive to laser photocoagulation. In all patients, one eye was injected, and the other served as a control. The intervention consisted in intravitreal injection of 4 mg triamcinolone acetonide. The main outcome measure was central macular thickness (CMT) at 4, 12 and 24 weeks, measured by Optical Coherence Tomography. Secondary outcomes were Early Treatment Diabetic Rentinopathy Study (ETDRS) scores, intraocular pressure and cataract PROGRESSION. RESULTS: Before injection, mean +/- SD CMT was 566.4 +/- 182.4 mum in injected eyes. Four, 12, and 24 weeks after injection, it was 228.4 +/- 47.5 mum, 210.9 +/- 87.2 mum and 358.5 +/- 160.5 mum respectively. CMT was significantly lower in injected eyes vs. control eyes except 24 weeks after injection because of a recurrence of macular edema in 9/17 injected eyes. Mean +/- SD gain in ETDRS score was significantly better in injected eyes vs. control eyes 4, 12 and 24 weeks after TA injection. In 9 of the 17 injected eyes, intraocular pressure exceeded 24 mmHg and was controlled by topical medication. CONCLUSION: In the short-term, intravitreal injection of triamcinolone effectively reduces macular thickening due to diffuse diabetic macular edema and improves visual acuity in most cases. The long-term effect of this treatment and predictive factors of visual recovery remain to be elucidated.     

Intravitreal triamcinolone injection for chronic diabetic macular oedema with severe hard exudates

Background The purpose of the study was to determine the efficacy and safety of intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide (TA) in chronic diabetic macular oedema with severe hard exudates. Methods This prospective, interventional consecutive case series study consisted of 33 eyes of 28 patients with chronic diabetic macular oedema and severe foveal hard exudates who received an intravitreal injection of 4 mg of TA. The patients were divided into two groups according to the type of foveal hard exudates: group I, plaque-like (17 eyes) and group II, dot-like scattered hard exudates (16 eyes). The results of both groups, evaluated by colour fundus photography and fluorescein angiography, were compared and complications were recorded. Results All patients completed at least 6 months of follow-up. In all eyes, the hard exudates were completely resolved (24% in group I and 50% in group II) or decreased (76% in group I and 50% in group II). In group I, the mean diameter of the exudates plaques significantly decreased from 5.5±3.8 mm² in the pre-treatment period to 2.2±2.7 mm² at the end of the follow-up period. There was no recurrence of the hard exudates in either of the groups. The mean ± SD visual acuity (VA) improved from 0.07±2.5 at the baseline to a maximum of 0.09±2.1 lines in group I (P<0.01) and from 0.13±3.9 to a maximum of 0.27±2.7 lines in group II (P<0.01). The mean VA improvement in group II was better than group I (3.2±2.5 vs. 1.4±1.0 lines, P<0.05). Intraocular pressure exceeded 21 mmHg in 10 eyes (30%), which was then controlled by topical medication. Three eyes (9%) exhibited signs of subcapsular cataract progression. Conclusions Intravitreal TA appears to be a valuable treatment in chronic diabetic macular oedema with severe foveal hard exudates. In all eyes in this study the hard exudates were completely resolved or decreased, and the mean VA improved significantly in both groups. However, the VA improvement was significantly worse in eyes with plaque-like exudates suggesting the possible value of earlier treatment. Further studies would enable the assessment of the universal effectiveness of this treatment. This study was presented in part at the 4th European Vitreoretinal Society (EVRS) Meeting, Istanbul, Turkey, 12–15 September 2004     

Intravitreal triamcinolone as an adjunct in the treatment of concomitant proliferative diabetic retinopathy and diffuse diabetic macular oedema

PURPOSE: To investigate if triamcinolone acetonide (TA) can be an adjunct to laser treatment in patients with concomitant non-high-risk proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) and diffuse clinically significant diabetic macular oedema (CSMO). METHODS: This prospective, interventional and comparative clinical study included 32 eyes of 16 patients with bilateral concomitant non-high-risk PDR and diffuse CSMO. Each patient received 4 mg intravitreal TA for the eye with worse visual acuity (study group) and macular focal and grid laser photocoagulation (MP) for the other eye (control group). One month later, each patient received four sessions of panretinal photocoagulation for both eyes plus MP for the eyes in the study group. The visual and angiographic results of both groups were compared. RESULTS: In the study group, the mean visual acuity (VA) improved from 0.12 +/- 2.3 lines at the baseline to 0.19 +/- 3.1 (P = 0.004), 0.20 +/- 3.2 (P = 0.004), 0.19 +/- 3.6 (P = 0.009) and 0.19 +/- 3.3 lines (P = 0.091) at the 1-, 3-, 6- and 9-month follow-up intervals, respectively. The macular oedema was found to be resolved in 11 eyes (69%) and decreased in five eyes (31%). In the control group, the mean VA deteriorated progressively from 0.41 +/- 3.1 lines at the baseline to 0.20 +/- 3.1 lines (P = 0.026) at the end of the study and the macular oedema decreased only in three eyes (19%) at the sixth follow-up month. CONCLUSIONS: During the follow-up period of the study, intravitreal TA as an adjunct in the treatment of concomitant non-high-risk PDR and diffuse CSMO led to a more-favourable clinical outcome than conventional laser treatment.     

Intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide use in diffuse persistent diabetic macular edema

PurposeTo determine the efficacy of intravitreal triamcinolone injections (iv TA) for diffuse persistent diabetic macular oedema (DMO) based on the functional parameter of modification in best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and the anatomic parameter of quantitative changes in central macular thickness, as determined by optical coherence tomography (OCT). The secondary outcome is to analyse the safety of the procedure.MethodsIn this retrospective study, 16 patients (22 eyes) were included over a period of six months. Type and time of evolution of diabetes mellitus, previous treatments, BCVA, lens status, intraocular pressure (IOP) and central macular thickness, were analysed. During the follow-up period were collected: number of injections, changes in BCVA, IOP, central macular thickness, and complications observed.ResultsImprovement in BCVA was recorded in 30.77%, 47.37% and 52.63%, at one, three and six months, respectively (P<.05 at 3 months). The IOP increased in 57.69% at one month, and 75 and 47.05%, at 3 and 6 months, respectively (P<.05 at 3 months). Progression of cataracts was found in 22.72%. No cases of endophthalmitis were observed.ConclusionsIntravitreal TA is a good therapeutic option for patients with persistent DMO, increasing BCVA and decreasing central macular thickness in the short term, with a percentage of clinical resolution of more than 70%. However, due to the transient effect, and potential adverse effects, it should be administered to selected refractory cases with caution.     

玻璃体腔曲安奈德注射联合黄斑格栅样光凝治疗糖尿病性弥漫性黄斑水肿

目的 观察玻璃体腔曲安奈德注射(intravitrealal triamcinolone acetonide,IVTA)联合黄斑格栅样光凝(macular laser grid photocoagulation,MLG)治疗糖尿病性弥漫性黄斑水肿(diffuse diabetic macular edema,DME)的疗效.方法 对24例(26眼)DME患者行IVTA治疗,1m后联合MLG治疗.观察联合治疗前和联合治疗后(1、3、6、9、12)m时患者的视力、眼压、眼内炎性反应、晶体及眼底改变,同时应用光相干断层成像术(optic coherent tomography,OCT)测量黄斑区视网膜厚度.随访6m～18m(平均12m).结果 所有26眼中,有23眼(88.5%)视力提高,3眼(11.5%)视力不变.黄斑中心凹平均厚度联合治疗前为(556±189)μm,联合治疗后(1、3、6、9、12)m时分别为:(285±151)μm;(205±87)μm;(209±107)μm;(216±76)μm;(220±93)μm.联合治疗前后比较差异有统计学意义(P＜0.001).在本研究随访期间,所有患者未发生黄斑水肿复发.26眼中4眼(15.4%)术后暂时性眼压轻度升高,1眼(3.8%)白内障加重.结论 IVTA联合MLG可以有效地治疗DME,提高视力并减少黄斑水肿的复发.     

Intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide for diabetic macular edema

PURPOSE: Intravitreal injection of triamcinolone acetonide has been advocated to treat exudative diabetic macular edema. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the clinical outcome of an intravitreal injection of triamcinolone acetonide as treatment for diffuse diabetic macular edema. METHODS: This study was a retrospective, interventional, clinical case series examining 210 eyes of 174 patients who received an intravitreal injection of 1 or 4 mg of triamcinolone acetonide for treatment of diffuse diabetic macular edema. Inclusion criteria were clinically significant macular edema, visual acuity loss, and leakage shown by fluorescein angiography. Main outcome measures were visual acuity and intraocular pressure. Mean follow-up time +/- SD was 6.6 +/- 3.1 months. RESULTS: In the study group, visual acuity improved significantly (P < 0.001) from a median of 20/200 (mean logMAR, 0.92) at baseline to 20/80 (mean logMAR, 0.82) at 6 months. Mean intraocular pressure +/- SD increased from 15.4 +/- 3.4 mmHg (median, 16 mmHg; range, 6-26 mmHg) to a maximal value of 20.4 +/- 6.2 mmHg (median, 19 mmHg; range, 12-51 mmHg) during the follow-up period. Complications included culture-negative sterile endophthalmitis in six cases and cataract extraction in five eyes. CONCLUSIONS: Intravitreal injection of 1 to 4 mg of triamcinolone acetonide may benefit patients by improving visual acuity in eyes with clinically significant diabetic macular edema. This study did not provide significant evidence to justify its routine use in clinical practice for all patients with diabetic macular edema. A randomized clinical trial on this issue would provide more conclusive evidence and help identify those patients most likely to benefit from intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide.