A prospective randomized study of medications after silicone intubation.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Following silicone intubation, most surgeons prescribe either an antibiotic or an antibiotic-steroid combination medication. No known controlled study has been performed to determine whether steroids in addition to antibiotics improve the postoperative outcome.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The author performed a prospective randomized study of 108 patients (118 eyes) who underwent silicone intubation over a period of 4 1/2 years. Sixty-seven patients received a combination of neomycin, polymyxin B, and dexamethasone and 41 patients received gentamicin for 2 weeks after surgery. A standardized surgical technique and instruments were used. Follow-up ranged from 8 to 44 months (average 19 months).

RESULTS

No statistically significant difference was found in the failure rates when patients treated with an antibiotic-steroid combination were compared with those treated with antibiotic alone.

CONCLUSION

Following silicone intubation, there appears to be no additional benefit of an antibiotic-steroid combination medication over an antibiotic alone.