Use of Intravitreal Triamcinolone in the Treatment of Macular Edema Related to Retinal Vein Occlusion

OBJECTIVE To analyze the increasing trend of intravitreal triamcinolone (IVTA) use in the treatment of retinal vein occlusion-related macular edema. METHODS We performed MEDLINE/PUBMED searches (September 1984 - December 2007) to identify articles containing the keywords macular edema and triamcinolone. Case reports, reviews and abstracts were identified from references in the reviewed literature. This review focuses on literature published during the past 7 years with more than two-thirds of the articles that we reviewed being printed during the past 5 years. These reports analyzed the success of IVTA in the treatment of macular edema over a 12 month course of time. RESULTS The majority of studies suggested promising results for short time periods (4-6 months) after IVTA treatments. However, long term results were not encouraging. CONCLUSIONS The success of IVTA therapy for short durations has been the impetus for development of sustained release devices to be used in the treatment of macular edema associated with various retinal diseases including edema related to retinal vein occlusion.