Short-term effects of intravitreal dexamethasone implant (OZURDEX^®) on choroidal thickness in patients with naive branch retinal vein occlusion

Os efeitos a curto prazo do implante de dexametasona intravítrea (OZURDEX^®) na espessura da coroide em pacientes com oclusão primária de ramo da veia central da retina

ABSTRACT

Purpose:

The objective of this study was to evaluate subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) using enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT) in patients with naïve branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) before and after intravitreal dexamethasone implant (Ozurdex^®) injection.

Methods:

Thirty-nine patients with unilateral BRVO and 35 healthy subjects were included in this prospective study. Choroidal thickness was evaluated by EDI-OCT at baseline and 1 month after dexamethasone implant.

Results:

The mean SFCT measured in 39 patients with BRVO was 299.41 ± 55.86 µm, significantly greater than that in contralateral eyes (283.76 ± 57.44 µm; p=0.009) and control eyes (276.14 ± 39.06 µm; p=0.044). The mean SFCT after the treatment was 279.64 ± 50.96 µm, significantly thinner than that before intravitreal dexamethasone therapy (p=0.004).

Conclusions:

SFCT in treatment-naive BRVO eyes was significantly greater than that in contralateral eyes and healthy eyes and decreased significantly after intravitreal dexamethasone implantation.

Keywords:
Choroid/pathology; Intravitreal injections; Retinal vein occlusion; Tomography, optical coherence; Macular edema; Dexamethasone/administration and dosage; Visual acuity