Efficacy of anterior chamber paracentesis after intravitreal triamcinolone injection

PURPOSE: To investigate the efficacy of anterior chamber paracentesis for intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide injection (IVTA). METHODS: A prospective, randomized clinical trial was conducted on 30 eyes from 30 patients scheduled for IVTA (4 mg/0.1 mL). Eyes were randomly divided into two groups: eyes that had undergone anterior chamber paracentesis (Group 1, 15 eyes) and eyes that did not have anterior chamber paracentesis (Group 2, 15 eyes). Intraocular pressure (IOP) was measured by Goldmann applanation tonometry at a baseline of 2, 15, 30, and 60 minutes at 1 day and 1 week after the injection. The authors analyzed the short-term postoperative changes of the IOP in each group. RESULTS: For Group 1, the mean preoperative IOP was 15.33+/-1.72 mmHg, and the postoperative IOP at 2 and 15 minutes were 7.80+/-1.47 and 11.73+/-1.67 mmHg, respectively. For Group 2, there was a significant elevation of IOP (46.73+/-8.26 mmHg) 2 minutes after the injection, which decreased to the normal range (16.13+/-2.61 mmHg) by 15 minutes after the injection. There were no significant differences between the two groups in IOP at 15 minutes postsurgery compared with the distinct difference in IOP at 2 minutes post surgery (Student t-test, p=0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that routine anterior chamber paracentesis is inappropriate due to the brief immediate postoperative IOP elevation with IVTA.