[Comparison of early management of central retinal vein occlusion with ranibizumab versus hemodilution].

PURPOSE

This study was designed to evaluate and compare the efficacy of early treatment of CRVO with either hemodilution by erythrocytopheresis or intravitreal (IVT) ranibizumab, or both.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A multicentric prospective randomized study including patients with CRVO for less than 1 month was designed. Patients were randomized into 3 treatment groups: hemodilution (HD group), 3 monthly intravitreal injections of ranibizumab followed by PRN treatment (IVT group), or combined treatment (IVT+HD group). A monthly evaluation during a 6-month follow-up included best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and macular thickness measurements with OCT. Fluorescein angiography was performed at baseline, month 2 and month 6. Local and systemic tolerability of the different treatments were also compared.

RESULTS

Forty-four CRVO patients were included between February 2010 and June 2013: 20 in the IVT group, 13 in the HD group and 11 in the HD+IVT group. The mean duration of CRVO at baseline was 10 days and 16 days at the time of treatment without any significant difference between groups. Retinal ischemia was present at baseline in 40% of eyes in each group. After a 6-month follow-up, no difference between the 3 groups was observed in BCVA (10.5 ETDRS letters, 14.6 and 14.1 in the IVT group, HD group and IVT+HD group respectively, P=0.726) or in macular thickness (398 μ, 440 μ and 379 μ respectively, P=0.465). The time until treatment from CRVO onset, ranging from 1 to 35 days, was not correlated to final outcomes. No significant difference in the mean number of IVT (3.2 in the IVT+HD group vs 3.7 in the IVT group) was observed at 6 months.

CONCLUSION

No difference in BCVA nor in macular thickness was seen at M6 between the study groups. The duration of CRVO at the time of the initiation of the treatment was not correlated to better visual outcomes. Therefore, etiologic treatment with HD can still be proposed as a first-line treatment in young patients, which allows delaying or avoiding the IVT treatment and its potential side effects. Anti-VEGF IVT still remains an effective option in every case and can be started one month after the beginning of the CRVO.