Combined Intravitreal Ranibizumab and Sub-Tenon Injection of Triamcinolone for the Treatment of Diabetic Macular Edema with Retinal Detachment.

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of intravitreal ranibizumab (IVR) combined with posterior sub-Tenon injection of triamcinolone acetonide (STTA) for treatment of diabetic macular edema (DME) with serous retinal detachment (SRD).

Methods: Eighty-five eyes of 65 patients with DME and SRD were enrolled in this retrospective study. Fifty-eight eyes were treated with IVR and STTA (combined group), whereas 27 eyes were treated with pro re nata (PRN) IVR (control group). The combined group patients received a single and the control group patients received mean 1.29 ± 0.46 injections and followed for 3 months. The primary outcome measures were change in central macular thickness (CMT) and best corrected visual acuity (BCVA). The secondary outcome measure was the complication rate.

Results: In the combined group, mean initial CMT was 543.9 ± 133.5 μm. Macular thickness was significantly reduced both after 1 month (334 ± 88 μm; P < 0.001) and after 3 months (387.6 ± 131.9 μm; P < 0.001) of treatment. At the 3-month follow-up, BCVA improved in 37.2% of the eyes. Complications were drug reflux at the time of STTA injection, elevation of intraocular pressure, and migration of hard exudates to the fovea. The decrease in CMT was statistically significant in the combined group in the first month, but not in the third month compared with the control group. The improvement in BCVA was not statistically significant between the 2 groups both after the first and third months. SRD disappeared with a higher rate with the combined therapy in the first month.

Conclusion: IVR and STTA seem to be effective in improving BCVA in DME with SRD.