AUTHOR=Li Siying , Zeng Qiaozhu , Zhu Li , Liu Wenbo , Li Yujing , Li Jiarui , Li Xiaoxin , Zhao Mingwei , Qu Jinfeng 

TITLE=Intraoperative slow-release dexamethasone intravitreal implant (Ozurdex) in epiretinal membrane peeling surgery: a prospective randomized controlled trial

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Pharmacology

VOLUME=14

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2023.1219861

DOI=10.3389/fphar.2023.1219861

ISSN=1663-9812

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Purpose</bold>: This study aimed to determine the efficacy of the dexamethasone (DEX) intravitreal implant for the regression of macular edema and the improvement of best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) after the removal of idiopathic epiretinal membrane (ERM).</p><p><bold>Methods</bold>: This prospective randomized controlled trial recruited 81 patients with idiopathic ERM. These patients all underwent 25-gauge pars plana vitrectomy combined with ERM and internal limiting membrane peeling surgery. Among them, 41 eyes in the DEX group received additional DEX implants and 40 in the non-DEX group did not. Outcomes including central retinal thickness (CRT), BCVA, and intraocular pressure were measured 1 and 3 months after surgery.</p><p><bold>Results</bold>: The DEX group had thinner CRTs compared to the non-DEX group at 1 month postoperatively (<italic>p</italic> &lt;0.05), but did not differ significantly at the 1-week and 3-month follow-up visits (<italic>p</italic> = 0.109 and <italic>p</italic> = 0.417, respectively). There were no statistical differences with respect to BCVA (<italic>p</italic> = 0.499, 0.309, 0.246, and 0.517, respectively) and intraocular pressure (<italic>p</italic> = 0.556, 0.639, 0.741, and 0.517, respectively) between the two groups at each point of follow-up visits.</p><p><bold>Conclusion</bold>: DEX accelerated the reduction of CRT at 1 month after surgery. However, no evidence of further anatomical (CRT) or functional (BCVA) benefits using DEX was observed at 3 months.</p><p><bold>Clinical Trial Registration:</bold><ext-link ext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">https://clinicaltrials.gov/</ext-link>, identifier <ext-link ext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="http://NCT05416827" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">NCT05416827</ext-link>.</p>