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ABSTRACT
Objective: To study the effectiveness and safety of the intravitreal dexamethasone implant 0.7 mg (Ozurdex®) in vitrectomy surgery for epiretinal membrane.
Methods: This is a prospective, multicenter, pilot study. Inclusion criteria included visually significant (<20/50) idiopathic epiretinal membrane. All patients underwent 23-gauge pars plana vitrectomy with membrane peeling and Ozurdex implant injection. The primary outcome measure was best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) change at 3 months. Secondary outcomes included BCVA at 6 months and changes in central retinal thickness (CRT). Intraocular (IOP) changes were monitored and cataract progression in phakic patients was documented.
Results: 15 patients were enrolled in the study, 12 eyes of 12 patients were included in the analysis. Mean preoperative BCVA was 50.67 ETDRS letters and improved significantly to 63.67 (+12.91 letters, p = .008) at 3 months. Mean CRT improved from 548 to 409 microns (p = .002) at 3 months. The IOP showed mild elevation at months 1 and 2 and returned almost to baseline at month six. There were no complications related to the steroid implant injection procedure in an air-filled eye.
Conclusions: Intra-operative injection of Ozurdex® at the conclusion of PPV can be done safely. The peak IOP and lowest CRT after 2 months strengthens the findings of prior studies demonstrating Ozurdex activity up to 3 months in vitrectomized eyes.
Conflict of Interest
No conflicting relationship exists for Avner Hostovsky, Kenneth T. Eng, Drew Mulhall, Christina Leung, and Peter J. Kertes.
Supplementary materials
Supplementary data for this article can be accessed publisher‘s website.