J Korean Ophthalmol Soc.  2005 Oct;46(10):1642-1649.

Efficacy of Intravitreal Triamcinolone Acetonide Injections at the End of Pars Plana Vitrectomy in Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy

• Kim SO
• Lee JW
• Kim JY
• Shin JP
• Kim SY

Abstract

PURPOSE
To evaluate the efficacy of intravitreal injections of triamcinolone acetonide (TA) at the end of pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) for proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). METHODS: We analyzed 50 patients (52 eyes) who underwent PPV for treatment of PDR and received an intravitreal injection of 4 mg TA at the end of surgery. The study group (Group 1) was compared with a control group (Group 2, 46 patients, 51 eyes) (matched with the study group for preoperative parameters) who underwent PPV without intravitreal injection of TA. RESULTS: In Group 1, the grade of anterior chamber cells at postoperative days 1 and 7 was significantly lower than that of Group 2. There was slight mean IOP elevation in Group 1 at postoperative weeks 2, 3, 4, and 8, but it was not statistically significant. Forty-four eyes (84.6%) from Group 1 showed better visual acuity at the last follow-up than at the preoperative visit (Group 1). Thirty-two eyes (62.8%) from Group 2 showed better visual acuity at the last follow-up than at the preoperative visit. The degree of visual improvement was 0.75 logMAR in Group 1 and 0.59 logMAR in Group 2. Vitreous hemorrhage occurred in 9 eyes (17.3%) from Group 1 and in 19 eyes (37.3%) from Group 2. However, the differences in the occurrence of neovascularization in iris and neovascular glaucoma between two groups were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Intravitreal TA injection at the end of PPV seems to be effective in improving visual acuity and decreasing early postoperative inflammation and the frequency of vitreous hemorrhage.

Keyword

Pars plana vitrectomy (PPV); Proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR); Triamcinolone acetonide (TA)

MeSH Terms

Anterior Chamber
Diabetic Retinopathy*
Follow-Up Studies
Glaucoma, Neovascular
Humans
Inflammation
Intravitreal Injections
Iris
Triamcinolone Acetonide*
Triamcinolone*
Visual Acuity
Vitrectomy*
Vitreous Hemorrhage
Triamcinolone
Triamcinolone Acetonide