Aflibercept combined with triamcinolone acetonide in the treatment of diabetic macular edema: optical coherence tomography and optical coherence tomography angiography

AIM: To analyze the relationship between optical coherence tomography (OCT) and OCT angiography (OCTA) imaging in patients with diabetic macular edema (DME) who are treated with a combination of aflibercept and triamcinolone acetonide (TA). METHODS: A total of 76 eyes newly diagnosed DME were included in this study. They were randomly assigned to receive either aflibercept or a combination of aflibercept and TA. Injections once a month for a total of three injections. Central macular thickness (CMT), number of hyperreflective foci (HRF), height of subretinal fluid (SRF), and area of foveal avascular zone (FAZ) were evaluated using OCT and OCTA at baseline and after each monthly treatment. RESULTS: Both groups showed improvement in best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and reduction in macular edema after treatment, and the difference in BCVA between the two groups was statistically significant after each treatment (P<0.05). The difference in CMT between the two groups was statistically significant after the first two injections (P<0.01), but not after the third injection (P=0.875). The number of HRF (1mo: 7.41 +/- 8.25 vs 10.86 +/- 7.22, P=0.027; 2mo: 5.33 +/- 6.13 vs 9.12 +/- 8.61, P=0.034; 3mo: 3.58 +/- 3.00 vs 6.37 +/- 5.97, P=0.007) and height of SRF (1mo: 82.39 +/- 39.12 vs 105.77 +/- 42.26 mu m, P=0.011; 2mo: 36.84 +/- 10.02 vs 83.59 +/- 37.78 mu m, P<0.01; 3mo: 11.57 +/- 3.29 vs 45.43 +/- 12.60 mu m, P<0.01) in combined group were statistically significant less than aflibercept group after each injection, while the area of FAZ showed no significant change before and after treatment in both groups. CONCLUSION: The combination therapy of aflibercept and TA shows more significant effects on DME eyes with decreased HRF and SRF. However, both aflibercept and combination therapy show no significant change in the area of FAZ.