Abstract:Background: Diabetic retinopathy and other retinal vascular diseases are the primary causes of visual impairment and blindness. Non-invasive imaging of the retina's microvasculature and the choroid has been made possible by the technique of optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). The primary objective of this study was a comparison of outcomes following posterior subtenon injection of triamcinolone acetonide (TA) alongside standard phacoemulsification with standard phacoemulsification alone in patients being treated for diabetic macular edema (DME) undergoing cataract surgery with the aid of optical coherence tomography (OCT) and OCT-A.
Methods: The study used a prospective cross-sectional method and involved 40 eyes of diabetic patients aged 55-75 years, encompassing both sexes with cataracts and DME. Two groups of patients were formed, each containing an equal number of participants. Group A underwent both standard phacoemulsification and a posterior sub-tenon injection of TA, while Group B only underwent phacoemulsification.
Results: The results show that post-surgery, the central foveal thickness and the foveal avascular zone, including both the superficial and deep capillary plexus, were significantly greater in group B than in group A (p< 0.05). Similarly, when comparing pre- and post-operative measurements, group B showed significantly higher central foveal thickness and foveal avascular zone (Superficial and deep capillary plexus) areas than group A (p< 0.05). In contrast, post-surgery, the vessel area density and best corrected visual acuity were significantly higher in group A than in group B (p< 0.05). Likewise, when comparing pre- and post-operative measurements, group A had significantly higher vessel area density and best corrected visual acuity than group B (p< 0.05).
Conclusions: Sub-tenon injection of triamcinolone led to improved visual outcomes, a decrease in the increase of CFT, a reduction in the FAZ diameter, and a decrease in the drop of VAD when measured by OCT and OCTA over a short period of one month.
