Purpose: This study evaluates the effectiveness of a single-dose dexamethasone implant (DI) as an auxiliary therapy to continued intravitreal ranibizumab (IVR) treatment in patients with persistent diabetic macular edema (DME).

Methods: Twenty-five pseudophakic eyes of 25 patients with DME who underwent a single injection of DI as an adjuvant therapy following an IVR loading dose were examined retrospectively. All patients were treatment naive and had a poor response to a loading dose of three consecutive monthly IVR injections. IVR treatments were continued pro re nata after the DI. The main outcome measures were changes in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central macular thickness (CMT) at 1, 3, 6 and 8 months post-DI treatment.

Results: After the IVR loading dose, the mean BCVA and CMT were 0.9 ± 0.6 LogMAR and 478.2 ± 107.8 µm, respectively. One month after the DI, the mean BCVA and CMT had improved to 0.6 ± 0.4 LogMAR (p = 0.005) and 313.8 ± 62.7 µm (p < 0.001), respectively. This improvement was maintained with mean 0.8 ± 0.8 IVR injections throughout the follow-up period. The final mean BCVA and CMT were 0.5 ± 0.5 LogMAR and 298.4 ± 71.5 µm. Subgroup analyses revealed that different DME types did not have any effect on CMT or BCVA improvement (p = 0.188, p = 0.136; respectively).

Conclusion: Adding DI results in rapid anatomical and visual improvement in patients who respond poorly to an IVR loading dose. Improvements may be maintained with additional IVR in follow-up.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10792-018-1053-5DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

loading dose
16
dexamethasone implant
8
adjuvant therapy
8
persistent diabetic
8
diabetic macular
8
macular edema
8
ivr loading
8
bcva cmt
8
ivr
5
implant adjuvant
4

Similar Publications

Background: There is no established treatment for the acute exacerbation of trigeminal neuralgia. We aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of intravenous fosphenytoin for this disease.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational study of data from 41 patients with trigeminal neuralgia who received intravenous fosphenytoin therapy.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Resistin may connect obesity and intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration (IDD) and is linked with chronic inflammation. Furthermore, human IDD is characterized by high expression of interleukin-20 (IL-20). The response of human nucleus pulposus (NP) cells to tensile forces depends on both the duration and magnitude of the force applied.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Aim: The aim of the current study was to explore nano-formulation for effective neuroprotection by auranofin.

Background: Currently, the treatment options for various CNS disorders, particularly neurodegenerative disorders, are greatly constrained. A significant obstacle in this pursuit is the blood-brain barrier, a shielding covering that hinders the route of numerous biochemical treatments into the brain.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare but aggressive neuroendocrine skin cancer with limited treatment options, often associated with Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) and marked by hypoxic tumor microenvironments that promote resistance to therapies. Belzutifan, an FDA-approved hypoxia-inducible factor-2α (HIF-2α) inhibitor, has shown promise in inhibiting tumor growth; however, its clinical efficacy is hindered by its low solubility, rapid clearance, and limited bioavailability. In this study, we present a strategy using porous silicon (pSi) microparticles and nanoparticles as carriers for the sustained delivery of benzoate to MCC cells.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!