Intravitreal Triamcinolone Injection with or Without Bevacizumab for Diabetic Macular Edema

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To compare the effect of intravitreal triamcinolone injection with and without bevacizumab for diabetic macular edema. METHODS: Of 69 patients (69 eyes) diagnosed with diabetic macular edema without any history of other intraocular disease or intraocular operation, 45 eyes (45 patients) were injected with intravitreal triamcinolone (4 mg) and the remaining eyes (24 patients) were injected with triamcinolone (2 mg) and bevacizumab (1.25 mg). The visual acuity and central macular thickness of treated eyes from both groups was measured using OCT, and these measurements were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: There were no statistical differences between the two groups with respect to baseline data. Central macular thickness (CMT) was reduced in both groups, and BCVA improved in both groups. No significant differences were detected in changes in CMT or BCVA between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Intravitreal injection of triamcinolone had a beneficial effect on DME in terms of CMT reduction and BCVA improvement. Addition of three consecutive intravitreal bevacizumab injections, however, did not show any significant addictive effect during the follow-up period.