title: Intravitreal injection of bevacizumab alone or with triamcinolone acetonide for treatment of macular edema caused by central retinal vein occlusion.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the efficacy and safety of intravitreal bevacizumab alone versus bevacizumab combined with triamcinolone acetonide in eyes with macular edema caused by central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) in Chinese patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy-five eyes of 75 patients were enrolled in this prospective, randomized, consecutive study. Thirty-six patients in group 1 were treated with an intravitreal injection of bevacizumab (1.25mg/0.05mL), and 39 patients in group 2 were treated with intravitreal bevacizumab (1.25mg/0.05mL) combined with triamcinolone acetonide (2mg/0.05mL). The main outcomes of the mean best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), central retinal thickness (CRT), and intraocular pressure (IOP) were measured.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In group 1, the mean BCVA improved from 37.78±6.14 (baseline) to 48.06±3.86, 46.48±4.77 and 44.18±5.78 at four, six and twelve weeks post-injection, respectively (P<0.01, P=0.03, P=0.04). In group 2, the mean BCVA improved from 35.92±6.20 (baseline) to 50.69±4.22, 48.76±5.59 and 45.70±6.56 at the same time points (P<0.01 each). However, there was no significant differences in the mean BCVA (F=0.043, P=0.836) and CRT (F=0.374, P=0.544) between these two groups. During the follow-up, five patients in group 1 and six patients in group 2 with high IOP were controlled with anti-glaucoma drugs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Intravitreal injection of bevacizumab alone or combined with triamcinolone acetonide has a short beneficial effect in Chinese patients with macular edema caused by CRVO, but there is no significant difference between the two groups.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, The Eye Institute of PLA, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710032, Shaanxi Province, China.
authors.forename: Hai-Yan
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xiao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yus-Sheng
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Zi-Feng
authors.initials: ZF
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Man-Hong
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Xiao-Na
authors.initials: XN
authors.lastname: Su
authors.forename: Jin-Ting
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Zhu