Efficacy of dexamethasone implant in the treatment of macular edema due to different etiologies

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of intravitreal DEX implant injection in the treatment of macular edema due to four different etiologies.Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective and case control study. A total of 177 patients who underwent intravitreal DEX implant between 2014 and 2018 for four different etiologies, which are diabetic retinopathy (DR), branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO), central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) and posterior uveitis (PU), were included in the study. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central macular thickness (CMT) were evaluated in pre-injection, 1st, 3rd, and 6th months post-injection.Results: Eighty-one patients (45.8%) had DR, 44 (24.9%) had BRVO, 35 (19.8%) had CRVO, and 17 (9.6%) had PU. There was a statistically significant difference in BCVA in the DR, BRVO and PU groups after the injection, but no significant difference was observed in the CRVO group. It is observed that there was a statistically significant decrease in CMT in all groups after the injection. The change in CMT in the 1st month was 153.4 ± 137 µm in the DR group, 161.1 ± 151 µm in the BRVO, 270.5 ± 189 µm in the CRVO and 142.2 ± 174 µm in the PU group.Conclusion: The intravitreal DEX implant reduces the CMT in patients with macular edema secondary to various etiologies and improves BCVA in patients with macular edema secondary to various etiologies except for patients with CRVO.