A Case of Retiserttrade mark Implant for Chronic Behcet's Panuveitis

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Retisert(TM) (fluocinolone acetonide implant) has recently been approved for clinical use in patients with noninfectious posterior uveitis. We report a patient with intractable chronic Behcet's panuveitis who underwent Retisert(TM) implantation and showed a favorable outcome. METHODS: A 30-year-old male affected with intractable Behcet's uveitis of both eyes for over one year which did not respond to oral steroids and immunosuppressants; subcutaneous interferon injection caused undesirable side effects such as impotency and pyrexia. Initial visual acuities were 20/1000 in the right eye and 20/100 in the left eye, and both eyes showed severe panuveitis with posterior subcapsular cataract, especially in the right eye. The subtenon triamcinolone injection was performed in the right eye, which was only effective to anterior uveitis, and Retisert(TM) was implanted in the right eye after the cataract operation. Two months later the visual acuity increased to 20/25, and the inflammation was totally controlled. There were no ocular or systemic adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: Retiserttrade mark is a fast, effective, and safe treatment for chronic, non.infectious posterior uveitis.