Comparison of efficacy of different methods for diabetic macular edema

Objective To evaluate the clinical efficacy of intravitreal injection of ranibizumab combined with macular grid photocoagulation for diabetic macular edema (DME). Methods Totally 60 eyes of 60 patients with DME were randomly divided into three groups with 20 cases in each group. Patients in group A received intravitreal ranibizumab injection every 4 weeks for 3 months and macular grid photocoagulation was performed 1 week later. Patients in group B received intravitreal injection of ranibizumab with same dose and same frequency without macular grid photocoagulation. Patients in group C received intravitreal injection of ranibizumab only once. At 1, 3 and 6 months follow-up after the first injection, the changes of best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and center macular thickness (CMT) between 3 groups were compared. Results In group A, the BCVA and CMT after injection were satisfactory and steady during follow-up (all P 0.05). The CMT had no statistically significant difference between pre-operation and 6 months after the treatment (P>0.05). Conclusion Successive intravitreal injection of ranibizumab combined with macular grid photocoagulation can effectively improve visual acuity and decrease central macula thickness for patients with DME. But the stability at postoperative 6 months of the combined treatment group is better than successive intravitreal injection therapy group. The successive intravitreal injection method with or without macular grid photocoagulation is better than monoinjection therapy. Key words: Diabetic retinopathy; Macular edema; Ranibizumab; Grid photocoagulation