Effect of Lingqi Huangban granule plus intravitreal ranibizumab on macular edema induced by retinal vein occlusion: a randomized controlled clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effect of Lingqi Huangban granule (LQHB) plus intravitreal ranibizumab in the treatment of macular edema (ME) induced by retinal vein occlusion (RVO). METHODS A prospective, randomized controlled study was conducted. A total of 60 subjects with RVO induced ME were randomized into control group (CG) (30 eyes) and LQHB group (LQHBG) (30 eyes). CG patients underwent intravitreal ranibizumab (IVR) injections. LQHBG patients were treated with oral LQHB combined with IVR injections. In order to reduce the financial burden of the injections, we used one injection and pro re nata (PRN) regimen for both groups. The best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), central macular thickness (CMT), and mean number of injections were evaluated at the beginning of treatment and 3, 6, 9 and 12 months afterward. All the subjects were followed up for 1 year. RESULTS At the beginning of treatment, there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of the general condition of patients (P > 0.05). At 3, 6, 9 and 12 months after treatment, however, the BCVA scores improved and the CMT measurements decreased in all patients (P < 0.05), with the improvement of LQHBG significantly greater than that of CG (P < 0.05). The mean numbers of ranibizumab injections were 1.8 ± 0.3 in LQHBG and 2.3 ± 0.6 in CG, respectively (P < 0.05). No adverse events were reported in both groups. CONCLUSION LQHB plus intravitreal ranibizumab could be a much more effective and economic treatment for stabilizing and improving vision with fewer intravitreal injections in the treatment of RVO induced ME. This integrative therapy appears to be a promising option for this type of patient.