Relation between reduction of foveal thickness and visual acuity in diabetic macular edema treated with intravitreal triamcinolone.

Abstract

PURPOSE:

To evaluate the correlation between improvement in visual acuity and the reduction of foveal thickness after a single intravitreal injection of 4 mg of triamcinolone in diabetic macular edema.

DESIGN:

Prospective, interventional, nonrandomized clinical trial.

METHOD:

PATIENTS:

In a prospective study 24 eyes with diabetic macular edema were treated with an intravitreal injection of 4 mg of triamcinolone acetonide.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:

Best-corrected logMAR visual acuity and optical coherence tomography were performed at baseline and 3 months after the treatment.

RESULTS:

At baseline the average foveal thickness was 462 +/- 154 microm (95% confidence interval, 397-527 microm) and at 3 months 257 +/-114 microm (95% confidence interval, 209-305 microm) (P < .0001). The best-corrected logMAR average visual acuity was 60.5 +/- 10.5 (95% confidence interval, 56.0-65.0) ETDRS letters at baseline compared with 65.5 +/- 11.1 (95% confidence interval, 60.8-70.1) 3 months after the injection (P = .0001). There was no correlation between the improvement in visual acuity and the reduction of foveal thickness (r = 0.054, P = .8), but there was a correlation between reduction in foveal thickness and the age of the patients (r = 0.53, P = .008).

CONCLUSION:

A single injection of 4 mg of intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide effectively reduces the foveal thickness in diabetic macular edema and improves visual acuity, but there does not appear to be a strong correlation between the reduction of foveal thickness and the improvement in visual acuity.

• Authors: Jörgen Larsson, Meidong Zhu, Florian Sutter, Mark C Gillies
• Journal: American journal of ophthalmology (Am J Ophthalmol) Vol. 139 Issue 5 Pg. 802-6 (May 2005) ISSN: 0002-9394 [Print] United States
• PMID: 15860283 (Publication Type: Clinical Trial, Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Glucocorticoids
• Triamcinolone Acetonide

Topics

• Adult
• Aged
• Aged, 80 and over
• Body Weights and Measures
• Diabetic Retinopathy (drug therapy, physiopathology)
• Female
• Fovea Centralis (pathology)
• Glucocorticoids (therapeutic use)
• Humans
• Injections
• Macular Edema (drug therapy, physiopathology)
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Prospective Studies
• Tomography, Optical Coherence
• Triamcinolone Acetonide (therapeutic use)
• Visual Acuity (physiology)
• Vitreous Body