Anatomical and functional recurrence after dexamethasone intravitreal implants: a 6-month prospective study.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy, safety, and delay of anatomical and functional recurrence after a first intravitreal injection of dexamethasone implant in eyes with cystoid macular edema (CME) secondary to retinal vein occlusion (RVO). METHODS: A 6-month prospective, monocentric and noncomparative case-series of 26 eyes of 26 patients. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central subfield thickness (CST) were measured at baseline and each visit at 1 week, and months 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 after a first treatment. Primary efficacy outcome was the proportion of eyes with a minimum three-line improvement from baseline BCVA at each visit and at 6 months. We also defined different patterns of recurrence: qualitative anatomical recurrence, quantitative anatomical recurrence and functional recurrence. A P-value <5% was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Mean population age was 69.3 years (SD=12.2; range=42-94 years). Mean ME duration before treatment was ~9.2 months (SD=11.43; range=0.4-40 months). Eighty eight percent of eyes achieved a three-line improvement from baseline at 2 months (P=0.02). The mean delay from baseline until qualitative anatomical, functional, or quantitative anatomical recurrence was 4.11 months (±0.86), 4.31 months (±1.33), and 4.40 months (±1.14), respectively. Qualitative anatomical recurrence occurred on average 14.4 days (SD=42.18) before a minimum of one-line BCVA impairment (functional recurrence). CONCLUSION: Dexamethasone intravitreal treatment seems to be effective for ME after RVO even with long-duration ME or poor visual acuity before treatment. Other longer studies should assess the delay of recurrence after second and further treatments with DEX implants or combined therapies for ME after RVO.

[Spectral domain OCT in eyes with retinal artery occlusion]. / Aspects évolutifs de la rétine en coupe OCT spectral domain lors des oblitérations artérielles rétiniennes.

INTRODUCTION: Retinal artery occlusions are a straightforward, essentially clinical diagnosis. The role of spectral domain ocular coherence tomography (SD-OCT) in this condition is not well described. PURPOSE: Anoxic retinal edema develops in the acute phase of retinal artery occlusion (RAO) followed by a regressive phase giving way to retinal atrophy. The purpose of the study was to determine dynamics of theses retinal changes in central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO) and branch retinal artery occlusion (BRAO) using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A prospective study of patients hospitalized at Hôpital Edouard-Herriot de Lyon between June and September 2009 was performed after patient education and informed consent. Retinal thickness of patients with central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO), branch retinal artery occlusion (BRAO) or cilio-retinal artery occlusion was measured centered on the macula or on the site of occlusion with spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) using Cirrus(®) (Carl Zeiss Meditec, Germany) upon admission, throughout hospitalization, at 1 month and at 3 months. Thickness and reflectivity of the various retinal layers were compared with the fellow eye. RESULTS: Fourteen patients were included (seven CRAO, six BRAO and one cilio-retinal artery occlusion). SD-OCT in the acute phase showed retinal thickening and increased reflectivity confined to the inner retinal layers supplied by the retinal circulation with decreased reflectivity from the photoreceptor and retinal pigment epithelial layers secondary to a shadowing effect in the affected area. These changes subsequently resolved at 1 month and gave way to a marked thinning of the inner retinal layers by 3 months. In one case of CRAO associated with an ophthalmic artery occlusion and consequent occlusion of the ciliary circulation as well, initial OCT revealed complete retinal thickening involving both the inner and outer layers. DISCUSSION: This study demonstrates that the anoxic intracellular edema resulting from retinal artery occlusions (RAO) observed histologically appears on OCT as a thickening of the inner retinal layers in the acute stage of the condition, giving way to atrophic areas starting at approximately 1 month ("pseudonormalization") and becoming clearly atrophic at 3 months. CONCLUSION: SD-OCT is useful in the diagnosis of RAO, especially if the patient is seen later in the disease process, when the ischemic retinal whitening is no longer present on fundus exam.