Abstract
Purpose :
The aim of this study was to detect predictive factors for visual acuity prognosis and risk factors for persistent macular edema longer than one year in patients with branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO).
Methods :
Sixty−seven eyes of 66 patients (32 men, 34 women; mean age, 73.0 years) with macular edema associated with BRVO were enrolled in this study. All patients were followed up longer than 1 year from April 1, 2012 through April 1, 2014. The patients underwent multimodal imaging using optical coherence tomography (OCT), fluorescein and indocyanine green angiography, and OCT angiography to evaluate the microvascular abnormalities. Twenty−one eyes were treated with sub−tenon’s capsule injection of triamcinolone acetonide (STTA), 22 eyes with anti−VEGF agents, 16 eyes with switch therapy from STTA to anti−VEGF agents, 4 eyes with vitrectomy, and 4 eyes without any treatments. Age, gender, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, subtype of BRVO, initial visual acuity, initial central retinal thickness, period of initial treatment, size of non−perfusion area, superficial and deep capillary telangiectasias, microaneurysms, collateral vessels, laser photocoagulation, and treatment were examined by multiple regression analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis to identify the independent predictors for visual acuity prognosis and risk factors for persistent macular edema, respectively.
Results :
Thirty−four eyes (50.7%) had persistent macular edema. Poor initial visual acuity (β.: 0.52, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.29−0.75, P〈0.001) and persistent macular edema (β.: 0.19, 95%CI: 0.03−0.35, P=0.019) were associated with poor final visual acuity. Presence of microaneurysms (odds ratio (OR): 11.0, 95%CI: 2.25−85.9, P=0.007) and older patients (OR: 1.1, 95%CI: 1.04−1.27, P=0.010) were risk factors for persistent macular edema.
Conclusions :
Our data suggest that microaneurysms formation causes persistent macular edema leading to poor visual outcome in patients with BRVO. Therefore, the microaneurysms should be treated in patients with persistent macular edema associated with BRVO.
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2016 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, Wash., May 1-5, 2016.