Photodynamic therapy and high-dose intravitreal triamcinolone to treat exudative age-related macular degeneration: 2-year outcome.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the efficacy of photodynamic therapy (PDT) and high-dose intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide (TA) injection to treat choroidal neovascularization (CNV) associated with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) at the 2-year follow-up.


METHODS
In this prospective, consecutive, comparative, nonrandomized, interventional case series, 30 eyes of 30 consecutive patients with subfoveal CNV associated with AMD were treated by PDT followed by intravitreal injection of 19.4 +/- 2.1 mg TA. Fifteen eyes were naive to treatment (group 1), and 15 had been treated previously by PDT alone (group 2). A group of 15 eyes of 15 patients treated by PDT alone served as controls. The number of Snellen lines gained or lost and PDT sessions were evaluated.


RESULTS
Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) did not change significantly in group 1 from baseline (0.0 +/- 3.4 Snellen line; range, -5 to 9 Snellen lines; P = 0.81); group 2 lost an average -0.6 +/- 2.5 line (range, -7 to 3 Snellen lines) (P = 0.41), and the control group lost an average of -2.2 +/- 3.4 lines (range, -8 to 2 Snellen lines) (P = 0.03, Wilcoxon signed rank test). The average number of PDT sessions during the 24-month follow-up was 1.9, 1.2, and 3.9 for group 1, group 2, and the control group, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
Two years after combined PDT/high-dose intravitreal TA to treat AMD-associated CNV, final BCVA was stable, and the need for retreatment was reduced compared with historical controls.
Ruiz-Moreno
José M
JM
Department of Ophthalmology, Miguel Hernández University School of Medicine, Alicante, Spain. jm.ruiz@umh.es
Montero
Javier A
JA
Zarbin
Marco A
MA
D020256:Choroidal Neovascularization / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005122:Exudates and Transudates; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006801:Humans; D007267:Injections; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010778:Photochemotherapy; D017319:Photosensitizing Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011166:Porphyrins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014222:Triamcinolone Acetonide / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000077362:Verteporfin; D014792:Visual Acuity; D014822:Vitreous Body
D005938:Glucocorticoids; D017319:Photosensitizing Agents; D011166:Porphyrins; D000077362:Verteporfin; D014222:Triamcinolone Acetonide