Abstract
Purpose :
To identify characteristics of patients with subretinal fluid (SRF) in macular edema (ME) secondary to branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) and to determine their clinical outcomes after anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) treatment.
Methods :
Fifty-seven eyes of BRVO patients with ME were divided into two groups according to the presence or absence of SRF at diagnosis. We compared the aqueous profiles, optical coherence tomography findings and other characteristics at baseline, and the clinical outcomes.
Results :
The SRF group had significantly greater central subfield thickness (CST) values and poorer best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at baseline compared to the non-SRF group. The former group had significantly higher aqueous levels of interleukin-8, VEGF, and placental growth factor. CST reduction and BCVA improvement during treatment were significantly greater in the SRF group than in the non-SRF group. Consequently, CST values were significantly lower in the SRF group than in the non-SRF group at 12 months, when BCVA did not differ significantly between the two groups. The SRF group required more frequent anti-VEGF treatment over 12 months and exhibited a higher rate of macular atrophy.
Conclusions :
Based on the aqueous profiles and the number of treatments required, the presence of SRF in BRVO patients appears to be associated with higher disease activity. BRVO patients presenting with SRF had lower BCVA values at baseline, but their post-treatment visual outcomes did not differ significantly from those of patients without SRF.
This abstract was presented at the 2024 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, WA, May 5-9, 2024.