Intravitreal Avastin Injection Combined With Macular Grid Photocoagulation For Diabetic Macular Edema

ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of intravitreal avastin injection only or avastin injection combined with macular grid photocogulation for diabetic macular edema (DME).Methods53eyes of DME diagnosed by fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA) and optical coherence tomography(OCT) in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from October2011to April2012,which were divided into two groups randomly.29eyes were treated with intravitreal avastin followed by macular grid photocoagulation a week later,24eyes were treated by intravitreal avastin injection only. The best corrected visual acuity(BCVA) and central macular thickness(CMT) were recorded before and1,2,4,8and12weeks later after treatment.ResultsBefore treatment,BCVA in the combined group was0.685±0.23, CMT was (441.07±67.19) μm,after1,2,4,8and12weeks of treatment, BCVA were (0.511±0.17,0.573±0.1950.529±0.17,0.481±0.17,0.466±0.16),CMT were (366.38±41.0)μm,(363.24±36.93)μm,(343.38±39.71)μm,(331.10±36.85)nm,(323.14±37.84) μm.Before treatment to the group of intravitreal avastin injection only,BCVA was0.740±0.25,CMT was (442.54±60.07) μm and after treatment,BCVA in every time point were respectively (0.558±0.23,0.508±0.23,0.500±0.22,0.525±0.21,0.596±0.20) and CMT were respectively(378.08.79±29.9)μm,(368.46±31.49)μm,(365.63±30.01) μm,(364.08±33.31)μm,(379.50±37.11)μm.After statistical analysis, the two groups were both statistically significant when respectively compared with before and after treatment.Comparing with the two treatment groups, BCVA and CMT values were both statistically significant different in12weeks after injection.ConclusionIntravitreal avastin injection only can reduce the thickness of macular foveal and improve visual acuity. However,the efficacy can be maintained just for a few weeks. Not only can the combined therapy improved visual acuity, but also reduce the thickness of the fovea effectively, which delayed time to relapse, but its long-term efficacy should be validated by the multi-center clinical trial.