LONG-TERM EFFECT OF INTRAVITREAL TRIAMCINOLONE IN THE NONPROLIFERATIVE STAGE OF TYPE II IDIOPATHIC PARAFOVEAL TELANGIECTASIA LIHTEH WU, MD,* TEODORO EVANS, MD,* J. FERNANDO ARE ´ VALO, MD, FACS,† MARI ´ A H. BERROCAL, MD,‡ FRANCISCO J. RODRI ´ GUEZ, MD,§ MARI ´ A HSU, MD,¶ JUAN G. SA ´ NCHEZ, MD† Purpose: To report the visual outcomes and ocular complications of intravitreal triam- cinolone acetonide (IVTA) in the treatment of the nonproliferative stage of type II idiopathic parafoveal telangiectasia (IPT). Methods: Retrospective, multicenter, uncontrolled interventional case series of 19 eyes of 14 consecutive patients with the nonproliferative stage of IPT that had undergone at least one intravitreal injection of 4 mg of triamcinolone acetonide. Demographic, medical, and ocular data were obtained through chart review. The main outcome measures included best-corrected visual acuity at several timepoints of follow up and ocular complications. Results: At baseline the mean logMAR visual acuity was 0.83  0.41 (Snellen 20/135, range 0.3–2). After an average follow-up of 21.2 months (range 6 – 44 months), the mean logMAR visual acuity remained essentially unchanged from baseline. At 3 months, the logMAR visual acuity was 0.86  0.44 (Snellen 20/145, P = 0.8378), at 6 months 0.86  0.42 (Snellen 20/145, P = 0.8149), at 12 months 0.87  0.46 (Snellen 20/148, P  0.9999), at 18 months 0.84  0.35 (Snellen 20/138, P = 0.8385), and at the last follow-up 0.82  0.44 (Snellen 20/132, P = 0.9301). Seven eyes were reinjected once. Ten of 19 eyes (53%) developed cataract (3 eyes underwent phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implantation) and 7 of 19 eyes (37%) had an elevated intraocular pressure, none of which required surgical treatment. Conclusion: IVTA does not seem to improve visual acuity in most eyes with the nonproliferative stage of IPT. RETINA 28:314 –319, 2008 I n 1956, Reese coined the term retinal telangiectasis to describe eyes with retinal capillary ectasia char- acterized by irregular capillary dilation and incompe- tence. 1 If these findings are limited to the parafoveal area, the terms parafoveal or juxtafoveolar telangiec- tasis are used. In 1982, based on the clinical and fluorescein angiographic (FA) findings, Gass and Oy- akawa classified this condition into several groups. 2 In 1993, Gass and Blodi further modified this classifica- tion. 3 More recently, Yannuzzi et al have proposed a From *Instituto de Cirugı ´a Ocular, San Jose ´, Costa Rica; †Clı ´nica Oftalmolo ´gica Caracas Centro, Venezuela; ‡University of Puerto Rico, Santurce; §Fundacio ´n Oftalmolo ´gica Nacional, Facultad de Me- dicina, Universidad del Rosario, Bogota ´, Colombia; and ¶Seccio ´n de Oftalmologı ´a, Hospital Caldero ´n Guardia, San Jose ´, Costa Rica. The authors have no financial interests in the subject matter presented. Presented in part at the 2006 annual meeting of the Association of Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO), Ft. Lauder- dale, FL (May 2006); at the Second Congress of the Sociedad Panamericana de Retina y Vı ´treo, Cartagena, Colombia (May 2006); at the 2006 Joint Meeting of the American Society of Retinal Specialists–European Vitreoretinal Society, Cannes, France (September 2006); and at the American Academy of Oph- thalmology annual meeting, Las Vegas, NV (November 2006). Reprint requests: Dr. Lihteh Wu, Apdo 144-1225 Plaza Mayor, San Jose ´, Costa Rica; e-mail: LW65@cornell.edu 314