Infliximab for chronic cystoid macular edema associated with uveitis.

PURPOSE: To assess the efficacy of the anti-TNF monoclonal antibody infliximab in uveitis patients without clinically evident ocular inflammation and impaired visual acuity because of chronic cystoid macular edema (CME).

DESIGN

Prospective, noncomparative, interventional case series.

METHODS

Patients with refractory CME (14 eyes, mean duration of 14 months), associated with intermediate uveitis (n = 6), Adamantiades-Behcet disease (n = 2), adult-type vascular pseudotumor (n = 1), and HLAB27+-related uveitis (n = 1) received an intravenous infliximab infusion (5 mg/kg); five patients were retreated after 1 month.

RESULTS

Macular thickness, measured by ocular coherence tomography, was reduced from 428 +/- 138 microm to 219 +/- 51 microm at 2 months postbaseline (P = .0001), while visual acuity increased from 0.41 +/- 0.18 to 0.83 +/- 0.17 (P < .00001). Anatomic and functional improvement was sustained at 6 months in all. No ocular or extra-ocular side effects were noted.

CONCLUSION

These promising results suggest that TNF may play an important pathogenetic role in chronic CME, thus, a controlled trial is warranted.