PDT with intravitreal steroid injection shows efficacy against neovascular AMD

Intravitreal injections of triamcinolone acetonide combined with photodynamic therapy may be more effective than PDT alone for stabilizing vision and reducing treatment frequency for patients with occult or minimally classic choroidal neovascularization secondary to age-related macular degeneration, according to a study by researchers in Canada.

However, "larger randomized trials are ongoing to determine the efficacy and risks of PDT with [intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide]," the authors said.

Varun Chaudhary, MD, and colleagues at the University of Western Ontario examined changes in visual acuity and re-treatment rates after performing either Visudyne (verteporfin, Novartis/QLT) PDT plus 12 mg of intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide or PDT alone. The study included 30 patients with occult or minimally classic CNV secondary to AMD over a 1 year follow-up.

Investigators found that visual acuity remained stable in patients treated with the combined procedure, but significantly decreased in patients treated with PDT alone (P = .02), according to the study.

The treatment rate averaged 1.13 among patients in the PDT plus triamcinolone group compared with 3.6 among patients in the PDT only group (P < .0001). Contrast sensitivity significantly increased in the combined treatment group and declined in the PDT only group, the authors noted.

The study is published in the December issue of Ophthalmology.