Pegaptanib Sodium versus Macular Laser Photocoagulation for Diabetic Macular Edema

Purpose:To report the short-term anatomic and functional outcomes after primary intravitreal pegaptanib sodium in patients with diabetic macular edema (DME). Methods:We conduced a retrospective outcome analysis, by optical coherence tomography and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), of eyes with DME treated with primary intravitreal pegaptanib sodium (Macugen) (intravitreal pegaptanib group). These results were compared with the ones of eyes treated with primary macular laser photocoagulation (macular laser photocoagulation group). Results:A total of 56 eyes of 56 patients with a minimum of 6 months’ follow-up were included for analysis. For the intravitreal pegaptanib group (26 eyes) we found significant changes in mean BCVA and reductions in mean central macular thickness (CMT) compared with baseline at the last follow-up visit (p < .05). For the macular laser photocoagulation group (30 eyes), we found no statistically significant changes in mean BCVA and CMT compared with baseline at the last follow-up visit. Conclusions:The short-term outcomes suggest that primary intravitreal pegaptanib treatment may be superior to macular laser photocoagulation in patients affected with DME.