Recurrence of macular edema associated with branch retinal vein occlusion after intravitreal bevacizumab

To study the recurrence of macular edema and the probability of retreatment with intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) of eyes with macular edema associated with branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO). In this retrospective study of an interventional case series, the temporal profile of visual acuity and retinal thickness after individual IVB, either initial or repeated, was investigated for eyes with acute BRVO associated with symptomatic macular edema. In a total of 95 IVB treatment sessions conducted on 37 eyes of 37 patients, 25 injections were completed with a follow-up period of 6 months or longer without any additional treatments. Fifty-eight IVB injections were followed by retreatment with IVB after an average interval of 119 days (range 42-308 days) since the preceding IVB injection. The remaining 12 injections were followed either by an insufficient follow-up period of less than 6 months or by laser treatment. Although retreatment with IVB because of recurrence of macular edema is common, in this study, the probability of retreatment with IVB was approximately 70% after each individual IVB injection, indicating that 4 injections is maximum for three-quarters of eyes with BRVO macular edema.