The dexamethasone drug delivery system for the treatment of retinal venous occlusion with cystoid macular edema

Abstract

Purpose To report our case report with sustained‐release dexamethasone 0.7 mg intravitreal implant (Ozurdex®; Allergan, Inc., Irvine, CA) in retinal vein occlusion with macular edema. Methods A 67‐years old female patient with recent retinal vein occlusion with macular edema treated with sustained‐release dexamethasone 0.7 mg intravitreal implant was performed. On initial examination, the right best‐corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 0,3. Right fundoscopy revealed dilatation and tortuosity of the retinal veins and retinal hemorrhage in the superior quadrant of the retina. The fluorescein retinal angiography showed a delay of filling time and spectral domain optical coherence tomography (Spectralis SD‐OCT; Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany) showed macular edema. Results The patient was treated with two intravitreal ranibizumab injections but two moths later the visual acuity was 0,2 and then we treated with sustained‐release dexamethasone 0.7 mg intravitreal implant and six moths later the right BCVA was improved to 0.7. Funduscopy and optical coherence tomography confirmed reduction of edema and tolerability of the implant was assessed. Conclusion The dexamethasone drug delivery system is one of the most recent additions to the armamentarium against macular edema, and is intriguing for its potency, dose consistency, potential for extended duration of action, and favorable safety profile. In patients with macular edema in retinal vein occlusion, sustained‐release dexamethasone 0.7 mg intravitreal implant may be an effective treatment option to control macular edema