Efficacy of the ganciclovir implant in the setting of silicone oil vitreous substitute.

Abstract

To evaluate the efficacy of the ganciclovir implant in the setting of silicone oil vitreous substitute. The authors retrospectively reviewed the charts of 19 patients with cytomegalovirus retinitis who had both a ganciclovir implant and silicone oil vitreous substitute. None of the patients was receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy during the study period. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to evaluate time to progression in eyes with the ganciclovir implant and silicone oil. In all eyes, the ganciclovir device implantation preceded or coincided with silicone injection. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that time to 25% failure from the date of the presence of both the implant and oil was 129 days. Time to 25% failure from the date of ganciclovir device implantation was 179 days. These results compare favorably with conventional treatment. The ganciclovir implant can be a useful treatment modality in eyes with silicone oil.