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

Abstract

PURPOSE: 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). PROCEDURES: 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. RESULTS: 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 microm occurred 8 weeks after initial bevacizumab injection. CONCLUSIONS: Both substances are able to stabilize CMT and BCVA in ME after CRVO, but only bevacizumab was devoid of unfavorable intraocular pressure elevation.