Predictive factors for recurrence of macular edema after successful intravitreal bevacizumab therapy in branch retinal vein occlusion

Our aim was to investigate predictive factors associated with efficacy and recurrence after intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) therapy for macular edema (ME) in patients with branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO). Fifty-two eyes of 52 patients who underwent IVB as a primary treatment against ME associated with BRVO were included retrospectively. Based on the postoperative central retinal thickness (CRT), the patients were classified into two groups: an effective group in which the CRT decreased to a parts per thousand currency sign250 A mu m within postoperative 3 months and an ineffective group in which the CRT remained > 250 A mu m throughout the first 3 months. The effective group was then divided into two subgroups: a recurrent group in which ME had once resolved but recurred afterward, and a nonrecurrent group in which the resolution of ME was maintained throughout the follow-up period without additional injections. Preoperative factors such as age, gender, estimated elapsed time from disease onset to IVB, visual acuity, and CRT were compared between groups. There was no significant difference between effective (n = 37) and ineffective (n = 15) groups in all preoperative factors. Between recurrent (n = 26) and nonrecurrent (n = 11) groups, elapsed time was significantly different (29.7 +/- A 29.5 vs. 15.7 +/- A 8.9 weeks, respectively; P = 0.036), and there were no significant differences in the remaining factors. Early IVB treatment against BRVO may suppress ME recurrence.