title: Intravitreal tissue plasminogen activator to treat macular edema associated with branch retinal vein occlusion.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the efficacy of intravitreal tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) injection for branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO).
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective, interventional case series.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventeen eyes presenting with macular edema caused by BRVO were treated with an intravitreal tPA (Monteplase, 40 k IU) injection. We assessed the visual acuity (VA) and foveal thickness measured with optical coherence tomography.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean duration of symptoms before surgery was 3.6 +/- 3.8 weeks. The mean logMAR VA significantly improved from 0.603 +/- 0.327 at baseline to 0.388 +/- 0.248 (P < .01) at one month and 0.359 +/- 0.319 (P < .05) at six months. The mean foveal thickness significantly decreased from 738 +/- 156 microm at baseline to 454 +/- 213 microm (P < .001) at one month and 253 +/- 164 microm (P < .001) six months.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Intravitreal tPA injection may be an effective treatment for resolving macular edema and improving the VA in BRVO.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomoaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Murakami
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takagi
authors.forename: Mihori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kita
authors.forename: Hirokazu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nishiwaki
authors.forename: Kazuaki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Miyamoto
authors.forename: Hirokazu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ohashi
authors.forename: Daisuke
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Nagahisa
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yoshimura
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005584:Fovea Centralis / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007267:Injections; D008269:Macular Edema / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012170:Retinal Vein Occlusion / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D014792:Visual Acuity; D014822:Vitreous Body
chemical_list: D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator