Abstract
Purpose
To evaluate the effects of intravitreal bevacizumab and to investigate the concentrations of cytokine in the aqueous humors of patients with macular edema secondary to hemicentral retinal venous occlusion.
Methods
Fifteen eyes of 15 patients with macular edema secondary to hemicentral retinal venous occlusion received intravitreal bevacizumab injections and completed 12 months of followup. Cytokine levels were measured in the aqueous humors of these patients using a multiplex bead assay and the levels were compared with those of the controls.
Results
During 12 months of followup, a mean of 4.5 intravitreal bevacizumab injections were performed. The visual acuity and the central macular thickness improved significantly (p = 0.028, p = 0.000) after treatment. The levels of inter-leukin-6, vascular endothelial growth factor, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 were increased in the aqueous humor compared with the levels in the control group (p = 0.010, p = 0.045, p < 0.001).
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Table 1.
Cytokines | Patients (n = 15) | Controls (n = 10) | p-value∗ |
---|---|---|---|
IL-6 (Mean ± SD) | 8.3 ± 5.5 | 2.0 ± 1.3 | 0.010 |
IL-8 (Mean ± SD) | 5.8 ± 6.0 | 2.8 ± 1.5 | 0.051 |
VEGF (Mean ± SD) | 64.1 ± 39.4 | 36.5 ± 16.5 | 0.045 |
MCP-1 (Mean ± SD) | 1,214.3 ± 476.5 | 412.2 ± 98.4 | <0.001 |
PDGF-AA (Mean ± SD) | 36.1 ± 19.9 | 32.8 ± 6.8 | 0.127 |
Data presented as the mean ± standard deviation (pg/mL). IL-10, IFN-γ, PDGF-AB/BB and TNF-α were not presented because the levels were near to or below the limits of detection. IL=interleukin; VEGF=vascular endothelial growth factor; PDGF=platelet-derived growth factor; MCP=monocyte chemoattractant protein.