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

Overview

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of the ganciclovir implant in the setting of silicone oil vitreous substitute. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 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. RESULTS: 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. CONCLUSIONS: These results compare favorably with conventional treatment. The ganciclovir implant can be a useful treatment modality in eyes with silicone oil.