Comparison of Bevacizumab and Triamcinolone for Treatment of Macular Edema Secondary to Central Retinal Vein Occlusion – A Matched-Pairs Analysis

Abstract

<i>Purpose:</i> Our aim was to evaluate differences in the outcome of bevacizumab or triamcinolone acetate (TA) treatment in patients with macular edema (ME) after central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO). <i>Procedures:</i> In a retrospective assessment 9 bevacizumab-treated patients and 9 TA-treated ones with ME after CRVO were pair-matched according to initial best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central macular thickness (CMT) as measured by Stratus optical coherence tomography. BCVA and CMT were the main endpoints. <i>Results:</i> The initial BCVA of 0.15 ± 0.1 increased not significantly by 1.0 ± 3.1 lines in the bevacizumab-treated patients after a mean of 10 months. The initial BCVA of 0.17 ± 0.1 decreased by –1.0 ± 5.2 lines after a mean of 13 months following initial TA injection. The only significant decrease in mean CMT by 239 ± 209 µm occurred 8 weeks after initial bevacizumab injection. <i>Conclusions:</i> Both substances are able to stabilize CMT and BCVA in ME after CRVO, but only bevacizumab was devoid of unfavorable intraocular pressure elevation.