title: Intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide in the treatment of ophthalmic inflammatory diseases with macular edema: a meta-analysis study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To perform a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared the effects of treatment with intravitreal injections of triamcinolone acetonide (TA) with the standard of care for ocular inflammatory diseases.
  
  
  METHODS
  Medline database was searched for causes of macular edema terms in association with intravitreal triamcinolone. The primary outcome of interest included changes in best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central macular thickness (CMT). Pooled summary estimates for primary outcomes were calculated as weighted mean differences (WMD) either on a fixed- or random-effect model.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 8 studies were included for quantitative analysis. Treatment with intravitreal TA showed improvement in BCVA compared with standard of care at 1 month (WMD, -0.09; 95% confidence interval [CI], -0.17 to -0.02), at 4 months (WMD, -0.09; 95% CI, -0.15 to -0.03), at 6 months (WMD, -0.13; 95% CI, -0.21 to -0.05), and in CMT at 1 month (WMD, -88.14; 95% CI, -105.86 to -70.43). Increased intraocular pressure (IOP) among patients treated with intravitreal TA was found at 4 months (WMD, 2.83; 95% CI, 1.96 to 3.70), persisting also at 12 months (WMD, 3.78; 95% CI, 2.97 to 4.59), compared with those receiving the standard of care. All outcomes are mostly equivalent at further follow-up times.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Intravitreal injections of TA may offer certain advantages over the standard of care for ocular inflammatory diseases, especially in the early stage of follow-up. However, it is necessary to take into account risks and benefits of TA treatment for ocular inflammatory diseases due to possible ocular hypertension elicited, in general, by intravitreal injection of corticosteroids.
authors.affiliation: 1 Section of Pharmacology and Biochemistry, Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania , Catania, Italy .
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bucolo
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Grosso
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Drago
authors.forename: Caterina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gagliano
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005128:Eye Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D058449:Intravitreal Injections; D008269:Macular Edema / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014222:Triamcinolone Acetonide / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D005938:Glucocorticoids; D014222:Triamcinolone Acetonide