Endophthalmitis after Intravitreal Injection of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Inhibitors: Management and Visual Outcomes

Purpose We describe the presentation of patients developing endophthalmitis after intravitreal injection with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibitors. Moreover, we evaluate the management by comparing the outcomes of immediate tap and injection of intravitreal antibiotics (TAI) versus initial surgical pars plana vitrectomy (PPV). Finally, we analyze the predictive factors of visual outcomes at 6-month follow-up. Design Retrospective, single-center, nonrandomized interventional study. Participants Patients developing endophthalmitis after receiving an intravitreal injection of anti-VEGF agent between 2006 and 2016. Methods All patients received a vitreous biopsy sent for cultures before the initiation of treatment: TAI group versus PPV with intravitreal antibiotics (PPV group). Main Outcome Measures Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at 6-month follow-up after treatment for endophthalmitis. Results A total of 258 357 intravitreal injections occurred over the course of the 10-year period, of which 40 patients (0.016%) had endophthalmitis within 3 weeks after injection. In total, 34 patients (85.0%) had pain and 25 patients (62.5%) had hypopyon on initial examination. Among 24 culture-positive cases, 66.7% of the causative organisms were coagulase-negative Staphylococcus , followed by Streptococcus species (10.0%). The best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) (logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution [logMAR]) at 6-month follow-up was significantly worse for patients who had a positive culture for Streptococcus species (4.0; standard deviation [SD], 0.8) (approximately light perception) compared with those who had a positive culture for coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (0.4; SD, 0.3) (∼20/50) ( P P  = 0.03). There was no statistically significant difference in BCVA at 6-month follow-up between the TAI and PPV groups. Younger age ( Conclusions No significant difference in BCVA at 6-month follow-up was detected between the TAI and PPV groups. Younger age and lower IOP at presentation were associated with better visual outcomes at 6-month follow-up.