INTRAVITREAL GANCICLOVIR IN CYTOMEGALOVIR US RETINITIS IN AIDS

A retrospective study was made of 26 patients with AIDS who initially presented with retinitis as the only clinical manifestation of cytomeg alovirus infection (39 eyes), Sixty-five induction or re-induction the rapeutic courses were administered with intravitreal ganciclovir. The efficiency rate of therapy was 93.8%. Thirty-eight maintenance therape utic courses (200 mu g/week) were evaluated. The non-compliance rate w as 23%, Bilateral retinitis occurred in 44.4% of cases, The systemic a dministration of therapy had to be substituted for the intravitreal ad ministration in 32% of patients during the clinical course of their co nditions, The mean survival rate was 9.5 months. Both retinal detachme nt and vitreal hemorrhage, occurred in 5% of patients. When retinitis is the first clinical manifestation of cytomegalovirus infection, ther apy with intravitreal ganciclovir is efficacious to inactivate lesions . Although bilateral retinitis and extraocular dissemination are commo n, the mean survival rate is high.