[Surgical treatment of chronic macular oedema with a combination therapy]

The treatment of therapy-resistent chronic macular oedema remains a challenge. Therefore a combination therapy, consisting of medical, biological and mechanical components was assessed.

A surgical treatment was performed in 35 eyes (34 patients) with chronic and therapy-resistant macular oedema, resulting from diabetic maculopathy (n = 25), vitreoretinal traction (n = 7) or following a retinal venous occlusion (n = 3). An intravitreal injection of bevacizumab was given on the day before surgery, consisting of pars plana vitrectomy with ILM peeling with Brilliant Blue G (BBG), as well as an air tamponade combined with postoperative prone positioning. The visual function and the central retinal thickness were measured in follow-up.

Functionally, the visual acuity could be stabilised to an average of 0.18 and macular oedema was reduced in most patients. Anatomically, a significant reduction in central macular thickness by 193 µm (29 %), from 598 µm to 405 µm (p < 0.001), and a regression in the intraretinal cystoid changes were observed. No significant complications occurred, whereas in 6 patients additional consecutive treatment was necessary.

A stabilisation of the visual acuity and an improvement in the structural retinal situation could be achieved by an elaborate combination therapy, based on a pharmacological, a biological and a mechanical approach. Long-term follow-up and consecutive supplementary treatments are necessary to ensure the functional stability.