Short-term outcomes of subtenon triamcinolone acetonide injections in patients with retinitis pigmentosa-associated cystoid macular edema unresponsive to carbonic anhydrase inhibitors

To investigate the functional and anatomical results of subtenon triamcinolone acetonide injection (TA) in eyes with retinitis pigmentosa (RP) that had cystoid macular edema (CME) unresponsive to carbonic anhydrase inhibitors (CAIs).

This is a prospective, interventional study. Forty-eight consecutive eyes that underwent subtenon TA for CME due to RP were recorded. Central macular thickness (CMT), best-corrected visual acuities (BCVAs) and intraocular pressures (IOPs) were evaluated before and after injection at 2nd week, 1st month, 2nd month and 3rd month, respectively. Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) was used to show anatomic findings. Complications such as cataract and glaucoma were recorded.

A total of 48 eyes of 42 patients with a mean age of 36.25 ± 15.59 years (range 13 to 63 years) and a mean follow-up of 4.45 ± 0.74 months (range 4 to 6 months) were recorded in the study. The mean initial BCVA increased from 1.09 ± 0.52 to 0.54 ± 0.29 logarithmic minimum angle of resolution (log MAR) (p < 0.001) at 3 months after injection and the mean central macular thickness decreased from 591.45 ± 209.55 µm to 270.83 ± 95.48 µm (p < 0.001). The mean iOP increased from 13.58 ± 2.87 mmHg to 15.91 ± 2.47 mmHg (p < 0.001). Multiple injections (3 injections) in 1 eye, 2 injections in 4 eyes and 1 injection in rest of the eyes were performed at 3-month intervals. Complications such as glaucoma and cataract were not observed in any patient during and after the treatment.

In the present study, a significant improvement in visual acuity and CMT were observed in eyes with subtenon TA for CME due to RP unresponsive to CAIS. Further studies with a long follow-up period of the population are required to investigate the role of subtenon TA of CME due to RP.