Possible benefits of triamcinolone-assisted pars plana vitrectomy for retinal diseases

Purpose: To study the advantages and complications of triamcinolone acetonide (TA)-assisted pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) for various retinal diseases. Methods: This report is an interventional case series and nonrandomized study. One hundred seventy-seven eyes from 158 patients underwent PPV with or without TA. Group TA(+) consisted of 94 eyes and group TA(-) consisted of 83 eyes. The improvement in vision and postoperative complications were prospectively studied. Results: Sixty-two percent of the eyes in group TA(+) and 49% of the eyes in group TA(-) had improved vision after surgery (P = 0.34). Twelve eyes in group TA(+) and 12 eyes in group TA(-) had an intraocular pressure higher than 21 mmHg after the operation, with no statistically significant difference (P = 0.63). Four eyes with proliferative diabetic retinopathy in group TA(+) and five eyes with proliferative diabetic retinopathy in group TA(-) needed an additional filtering surgery. Group TA(+) (five eyes) had a lower incidence (P = 0.041) of reoperation caused by preretinal fibrous membrane formation than group TA(-) (13 eyes). No apparent corneal disorder or infectious signs were found in any eyes. Conclusions: Triamcinolone acetonide-assisted PPV appears to be potentially useful to reduce the incidence of reoperation owing to preretinal fibrosis with no serious complications.