Improvement in efficacy of corticosteroid therapy in an animal model of proliferative vitreoretinopathy by pretreatment.

Intraocular injection of the corticosteroid triamcinolone acetonide reduces the incidence of retinal detachment in rabbit eyes injected with tissue-cultured fibroblasts. When the steroid was injected simultaneously with the cells, a reduction of retinal detachment from 93% (control) to 75% (treated) was achieved on day 28. When the steroid was injected 24 h preceding cell injection, the reduction of retinal detachment was from 85% (control) to 43% (treated). The development of retinal detachment is caused by proliferation of injected fibroblasts. Reduction of this proliferation is probably achieved partially through direct inhibition of mitosis, but more important may be the reduction of the reactive inflammatory process.