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Triamcinolone acetonide decreased macular thickness in eyes with DME
Triamcinolone acetonide injected into the posterior sub-Tenon capsule can reduce the central macular thickening caused by diabetic macular edema, at least in the short term, according to a small study by researchers in Japan.
Junko Toda, MD, and colleagues at the University of Tokyo evaluated the change in central macular thickness in nine eyes of nine patients treated with 20 mg of triamcinolone acetonide. They compared these eyes to the patients' nine untreated fellow eyes. All patients had bilateral diabetic macular edema and averaged 60.4 years of age, according to the study.
Before injection, central macular thickness averaged 624.8 µm in the treated eyes and 452.8 µm in the untreated eyes. There was no significant difference between the two groups, the authors reported.
After injection, central macular thickness in the treated eyes decreased to average 434 µm (<cite>P</cite> = .017) at 1 month follow-up and 423.1 µm (<cite>P</cite> = .052) at 3 months, according to the study.
No significant changes in macular thickness were observed among the untreated control eyes. Central macular thickness increased slightly to average 462.2 µm at 1 month follow-up and 478.3 µm at 3 months, the researchers said.
The study is published in the July/August issue of <cite>Retina</cite>.