Microneedle Intra-Arterial Injection for Retinal Artery Occlusion

Overview

This prospective interventional study evaluates the efficacy and safety of direct intra-arterial microneedle injection combined with pars plana vitrectomy for acute retinal artery occlusion (including central retinal artery occlusion \[CRAO\] and branch retinal artery occlusion \[BRAO\] involving the macula or causing severe visual loss). The primary endpoint is best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA, LogMAR) at 1 month. Secondary objectives include assessing the effect of treatment timing and monitoring longitudinal changes in visual function and retinal structure over 12 months.

Retinal artery occlusion lacks an established standard therapy. This prospective, non-randomized, parallel-group interventional trial compares pars plana vitrectomy with direct intra-arterial microneedle thrombolysis plus standard care (experimental arm) with standard clinical care alone (control arm). The trial is open-label, and outcome assessors for BCVA, automated perimetry, fluorescein angiography (FFA), and optical coherence tomography (OCT) will be masked. Scheduled visits occur at 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months. The symptom-to-treatment interval (≤3 days vs 3-7 days) is a prespecified subgroup for secondary analyses.

Conditions