Exudative Macular Degeneration and Intravitreal Triamcinolone. A Pilot Study

Purpose: To study the efficacy of the anti-inflammatory agent triamcinolone (Kenacort A-40) in patients with exudative age-related macular degeneration and subfoveal and juxtafoveal choroidal new vessels, considered unsuitable for laser photocoagulation.

Method: Thirty eyes of 28 patients were treated with intravitreal injection of triamcinolone. The subsequent visual acuity (VA) of treated eyes was compared with published VA outcomes of untreated eyes. Patients were classified into three types according to their responses to treatment.

Results: Within two weeks of receiving treatment, exudation decreased and vision improved in the majority of Types I and II patients (87%), the trend continuing in longer term follow-up. The overall VA outcome for treated eyes was significantly better than published VA data for untreated exudative macular lesions.

Conclusions: The preliminary results are encouraging and no serious side effects of a single injection of triamcinolone have been detected in patients followed for up to 18 months. The treatment should, however, continue to be regarded as unproven and only administered in the context of a prospective, case-controlled clinical trial.