Comparison of intravitreal ganciclovir monotherapy and combination with foscarnet as initial therapy for cytomegalovirus retinitis

Journal Title: International Journal of Ophthalmology - Year 2018, Vol 11, Issue 10

Abstract

"AIM: To compare the effectiveness between multiple intravitreal injections of ganciclovir alone and combined with foscarnet as initial treatment for patients with newly-onset cytomegalovirus retinitis (CMVR). METHODS: The retrospective study observed 37 patients (58 eyes) who suffered from CMVR onset between 2013 and 2015. Among them, 35 eyes underwent 4 weekly intravitreal injections of 3.0 mg ganciclovir, and 23 eyes underwent 4 weekly injections of 3.0 mg ganciclovir combined with 2.4 mg foscarnet. Visual acuity, intraocular pressure and viral load of cytomegalovirus (CMV) in aqueous humor measured by real-time polymerase chain reaction were compared before and after each injection. RESULTS: CMV-DNA copies in aqueous humor decreased remarkably in both groups. The average of CMV-DNA copies in patients’ aqueous decreased from 38.3×104 copies/mL at baseline to 2.2×104 copies/mL after the 4th injection in patients who were treated with ganciclovir monotherapy, and decreased from 76.9×104 copies/mL to 11.3×104 copies/mL after 4 continuous injections of ganciclovir combined with foscarnet. No significant difference was found in reduction of viral load, change of visual acuities or intraocular pressures between monotherapy or combined therapy. CONCLUSION: Results of this study show that the initial effectiveness of treating CMVR after 4 weekly intravitreal injections is not significantly different from ganciclovir alone or combined with foscarnet. Continuous injection of ganciclovir alone is sufficient in treating immunosuppressive patients with newly-onset CMVR."

Authors and Affiliations

De-Kuang Hwang

Keywords

Related Articles

Comparison of the inhibitory effect of different doses of subconjunctival bevacizumab application in an experimental model of corneal neovascularization

"AIM: To evaluate the inhibitory effect of subconjunctival bevacizumab as single- and multiple-dose application, and compare their effects on corneal neovascularization in a rat model. METHODS: Thirty adult Sprague-Dawle...

Diabetic macular edema in proliferative stage treated with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor agent and triamcinolone acetonide by laser-based strategies

"AIM: To appraise the effect of treatment for diabetic macular edema (DME) in proliferative stage with sufficient panrentinal photocoagulation (PRP) therapy and intravitreal injections (IV) Conbercept and posterior subte...

B-scan ultrasound and cytology of the vitreous in primary central nervous system lymphoma with vitreoretinal involvement

"AIM: To evaluate the diagnostic value of B-scan ultrasound and explore the cytological characteristics of patients with vitreoretinal lymphoma (VRL) and primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL). METHODS: The clin...

Factors affecting residual exotropia after two muscle surgery for intermittent exotropia

"AIM: To study the factors affecting residual exotropia (>10 PD) at 4-6wk postoperative visit following two rectus muscle surgery for intermittent exotropia [bilateral lateral rectus (LR) recession or unilateral recess r...

Download PDF file
  • EP ID EP477379
  • DOI 10.18240/ijo.2018.10.10
  • Views 85
  • Downloads 0

How To Cite

De-Kuang Hwang (2018). Comparison of intravitreal ganciclovir monotherapy and combination with foscarnet as initial therapy for cytomegalovirus retinitis. International Journal of Ophthalmology, 11(10), -. https://europub.co.uk./articles/-A-477379