CYSTOID MACULAR EDEMA IN BIRDSHOT RETINOCHOROÏDITIS: Long-Term Treatment Study in 142 Patients

To assess the long-term efficacy and safety of treatments for cystoid macular edema in birdshot retinochoroïditis.

Observational retrospective study of 142 HLA-A29-positive patients with cystoid macular edema; the main outcome was the optical coherence tomography intraretinal cysts resolution.

During the mean follow-up of 75 months (12-178), 61.3% of patients were successfully treated using 1 to 3 treatment steps, while the others needed more steps. At 6 months, there were no significant effects on ME for anti-TNF (tumor necrosis factor) and IVIg (immunoglobulin) in contrast to antimetabolites (OR 1.98), systemic GCS (glucocorticosteroids), CsA (cyclosporine A) and tocilizumab (odds ratio closed to 2.7), intraocular injected GCS (odds ratio of 4.2), and interferon (odds ratio of 4.4). The percentages of therapeutic success trend to decrease from the initial three treatment steps to the subsequent treatment steps, for systemic GCS (84% to 70%), for anti-TNF (42% to 33%), and for CsA (71% to 33%); the success percentages did not decrease for injected GCS (83% to 89%). Macular edema recurrence occurred with the highest percentage for injected GCS (86.8%, P = 0.01) and the lowest for tocilizumab (10.5%, P = 0.001). Interferons-α and tocilizumab were associated with the lowest prednisone daily doses.

The classical uveitic cystoid macular edema therapeutic algorithm could be adapted to birdshot retinochoroïditis.