Long-Term Clinical Outcomes of the 0.18 Mg Fluocinolone Acetonide Intravitreal Implant Following Local Corticosteroid Burst in Noninfectious Uveitis.

Purpose: The 0.18 mg fluocinolone acetonide implant (FAi) is marketed for up to 36 months for treatment of noninfectious uveitis. An additional short-term corticosteroid burst prior to the 0.18 mg FAi, followed by attempt at long-term inflammation control with the 0.18 mg FAi may be beneficial given the low dose of the implant. We retrospectively reviewed all patients undergoing this treatment approach at our institution to determine its efficacy.

Methods: Patients who received a corticosteroid burst followed by the 0.18 mg FAi with at least 6-month follow-up post 0.18 mg FAi were included. The primary outcome, treatment escalation (defined as worsening inflammation requiring escalation of therapy), was modeled using Kaplan-Meier analysis. Secondary outcomes included cystoid macular edema (CME), central macular thickness, retinal vasculitis, visual acuity, anterior chamber and vitreous cell, use of systemic therapy, use of corticosteroid drops, IOP, number of IOP lowering medications, need for glaucoma surgery, need for cataract surgery, and additional local corticosteroids.

Results: 32 eyes were included (mean follow-up: 19.8 months). Prior to corticosteroid burst, 37.5% were on systemic therapy, 53% had CME, and 25% had retinal vasculitis. At FAi visit, CME had decreased to 18.8%. Mean time to treatment escalation after FAi was 20.3 months (95% CI 14.8-25.7 months). No patient discontinued systemic therapy and on average 15.0% of eyes required additional local corticosteroids at each follow-up interval.

Conclusions: This treatment approach demonstrates that the 0.18 mg FAi is a useful adjuvant for the treatment of noninfectious uveitis but may not be adequate as solo therapy.