FLUOCINOLONE ACETONIDE IMPLANT FOR VOGT–KOYANAGI–HARADA DISEASE: Three-Year Outcomes of Efficacy and Safety

Long-term efficacy of dexamethasone intravitreal implant in the treatment of Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease relapsing posterior uveitis

Purpose:

To investigate the efficacy and safety of dexamethasone intravitreal implant in the treatment of relapsing posterior uveitis in patients with chronic recurrent Vogt–Koyanagi–Harada (VKH) disease.

Methods:

This was a prospective study of 29 eyes of 16 patients with posterior uveitis in chronic recurrent VKH disease. All patients received previous systemic steroid and immunosuppressive regimens. All patients underwent a comprehensive ophthalmic examination, including best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), Indocyanine green angiography (ICGA), fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA), and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). All patients underwent intravitreal injection with sustained-release dexamethasone 0.7 mg implant (Ozurdex®). Primary outcome measures included mean change in BCVA and central foveal thickness (CFT) at 24 months of follow-up compared to the baseline.

Results:

At 24 month of follow-up, the mean BCVA improved from 0.82 ± 0.13 to 0.38 ± 0.06 logMAR (P < 0.0001). The mean CFT reduced from 505 ± 29 to 244 ± 23 um (P < 0.0001). The mean intraocular pressure (IOP) changed from 15.1 ± 2.2 to 16.9 ± 3.1 mmHg with no significant value (P-value = 0.0955). Twenty-one eyes (72.4%) received one injection, whereas eight eyes (27.6%) required two injections. The mean number of injections was 1.2 ± 0.60. The mean follow-up time was 24.75 ± 0.9 months. No serious ocular or systemic adverse events were noted during the follow-up period. Ocular hypertension was recorded in three (10.3%) eyes and controlled by IOP lowering medications. Cataract progression occurred in 11 (37.9%) eyes.

Conclusion:

Our cohort highlights the beneficial effects of the dexamethasone implant of 0.7 mg in the treatment of VKH disease relapsing posterior uveitis improving visual acuity, reducing macular edema, and minimizing the burden of systemic steroids in this sample study.

Intravitreal methotrexate and fluocinolone acetonide implantation for Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada uveitis

Purpose

To report a case of intravitreal methotrexate treatment and fluocinolone acetonide (Retisert®) implantation in a patient with Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome (VKH).

Observations

A 34-year-old male was referred for worsening vision and bilateral panuveitis consistent with VKH. He was treated with prednisone, mycophenolate mofetil, prednisolone acetate eye drops, and injections of triamcinolone and adalimumab. He failed to improve with these therapies and developed multiple adverse effects, including hepatotoxicity, severe eye pain, cataracts, and cystoid macular edema. We treated him with intravitreal methotrexate injections in both eyes, which rapidly improved his eye pain, inflammation, and vision. He subsequently underwent fluocinolone acetonide (Retisert®) implantation, cataract extraction with intraocular lens insertion, and Ahmed tube placement for long-term intraocular pressure control. His vision improved from hand motions to 20/30, intraocular pressure remained stable at 17, there was complete resolution of his panuveitis and uveitic macular edema, and his systemic medications were able to be discontinued.

Conclusions

/Importance: This case demonstrates intravitreal methotrexate may successfully treat intraocular inflammation, pain, and macular edema in VKH. Excellent long-term vision and reduction of adverse effects of systemic medications were also achieved with subsequent fluocinolone acetonide implantation. Combining these two targeted therapies may be an effective strategy in treating VKH in patients who have severe pain and cannot tolerate systemic therapy.