Functional-Morphological Changes After Intravitreal Injection of Triamcinolone Acetonide for Macular Edema with Branch Retinal Vein Occlusion

Purpose: To evaluate functional and morphological changes of the macula after intravitreal injection of triamcinolone acetonide (IVTA) for macular edema with branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO). Methods: Twenty patients with BRVO (mean age: 69.7 +/- 9.8 years; 14 women and 6 men) received IVTA. Macular function was documented by microperimetry and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was determined. Retinal thickness and retinal volume were measured by optical coherence tomography, and mean retinal sensitivity was calculated for each of 9 macular subfields. Results: Mean BCVA significantly improved 6 months after IVTA. Mean retinal sensitivity, retinal thickness, and retinal volume significantly improved after 6 months in 4, 8, and 8 subfields, respectively. On multivariate analysis, improvement of retinal sensitivity was significantly correlated with the percent changes of both retinal thickness and retinal volume in 2 subfields [superior inner (the occlusion site) and temporal outer], although improvement of visual acuity was not significantly correlated with the percent change of macular edema in any of the 9 subfields. Conclusions: These findings suggest that IVTA can improve both functional and morphological changes due to macular edema in BRVO patients, and that morphological improvement after IVTA might be useful for assessing the functional prognosis of BRVO with macular edema.