Transoperative intravitreal dexamethasone implantation in patients with proliferative vitreoretinopathy

To compare the anatomical results in patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment, at least grade B of proliferative vitreoretinopathy, and with a trans-surgical dexamethasone implant vs the control group. We also assessed the diminution of proliferative vitreoretinopathy and the final visual acuity (VA).

The patients were evaluated clinically and with optical coherence tomography for 10 months. Logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate the effect of the dexamethasone implant on retinal detachment. Correlational analyses were explored depending on the variables' distribution, and an independent samples t-test was used to compare the VA in both groups.

The study included 38 eyes of patients with proliferative vitreoretinopathy: 18 with the implant and 20 for the control group. The evaluation of the main objective showed significant differences (p < 0.05) in the anatomical success between the two groups (61.1% vs. 20%, treatment vs. control); odds ratio of 6.29; 95% confidence interval: 1.5- 26.8; p = 0.013; Nagelkerke's R² = 0.225. The t-test showed a significant difference in the final VA of the patients (t = 2.047; df = 36; p = 0.048; Cohen's d = 0.66).

Retinal redetachment was less frequent, and better VA was observed, in patients with the dexamethasone implant in comparison with the control group.