title: Dexamethasone intravitreal implant (Ozurdex®) for pediatric uveitis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to investigate the safety and effectiveness of an intravitreally injected dexamethasone-containing implant (Ozurdex(®)) in the treatment of uveitis in children.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study group included ten patients (14 eyes) aged 6.5-15 years (mean age 12 years) with intermediate or posterior uveitis who were treated with the Ozurdex implant at two tertiary medical centers between 2009 and 2014, following an insufficient response to standard uveitis therapy. All were followed for at least 6 months (mean 12.2 ± 4.9 months). Clinical data before and after treatment were collected retrospectively from the medical files. Outcome measures were best corrected visual acuity, vitreous haze, and macular thickness. Ocular complications were documented.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Visual acuity improved in 12 eyes (86 %) and intraocular inflammation decreased in 13 eyes (93 %) from 1 week to 3 months after the first injection. Macular edema decreased in all eyes from 1 month to 3 months after the first injection. Five patients underwent repeated injections because of an increase in macular thickness at 3-6 month follow-up. Complications included cataract progression in one patient after one injection and cataract formation in two patients after two injections, and an elevation in intraocular pressure in two patients who responded well to topical treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Both single and repeated injections of a dexamethasone-containing implant are safe and effective for the treatment of noninfectious intermediate and posterior uveitis in children. The duration of the beneficial effect may be limited. More data are required to establish the safety profile of the implant in the pediatric age group.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Hospital, Petach Tikva, 49100, Israel. rutibd@gmail.com.|Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel. rutibd@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Ruti
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sella
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Merih
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Oray
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Hospital, Petach Tikva, 49100, Israel.|Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Ronit
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Friling
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Hospital, Petach Tikva, 49100, Israel.
authors.forename: Lewaa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Umar
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ilknur
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Tugal-Tutkun
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Hospital, Petach Tikva, 49100, Israel.|Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Michal
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kramer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003907:Dexamethasone / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004343:Drug Implants; D005260:Female; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006801:Humans; D058449:Intravitreal Injections; D008269:Macular Edema / Q000188:drug therapy; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D015867:Uveitis, Intermediate / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D015866:Uveitis, Posterior / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D004343:Drug Implants; D005938:Glucocorticoids; D003907:Dexamethasone
keywords: Dexamethasone implant; Inflammation; Ozurdex; Pediatric uveitis; Uveitis