title: Successful treatment with combination of systemic antiviral drugs and intravitreal ganciclovir injections in the management of severe necrotizing herpetic retinitis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To report the use of intravenous (IV) antiviral agents and intravitreal ganciclovir injections in three immunocompetent patients with severe acute retinal necrosis (ARN).
  
  
  METHODS
  Case series.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three immunocompetent patients, who had lost vision in the first eye due to ARN, received intensive treatment with IV foscarnet or acyclovir or ganciclovir and intravitreal ganciclovir injections for the treatment of severe ARN involving the fellow eye. The retinitis resolved and final visual acuity of the fellow eye improved to 20/20 in all three cases after a mean follow-up of 17 months.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Intensive treatment with a combination of two intravenous antiviral drugs and intravitreal ganciclovir injections was successful in the management of patients with acyclovir-resistant ARN and monocular status.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Hopital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Thi Ha
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Chau Tran
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cassoux
authors.forename: Bahram
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bodaghi
authors.forename: Phuc
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lehoang
mesh_terms: D000212:Acyclovir / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D017245:Foscarnet / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D015774:Ganciclovir / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006563:Herpes Zoster Ophthalmicus; D006801:Humans; D007267:Injections; D008297:Male; D009336:Necrosis; D012173:Retinitis / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000821:virology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014792:Visual Acuity; D014822:Vitreous Body
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D017245:Foscarnet; D015774:Ganciclovir; D000212:Acyclovir