SynthesisFrontiers in endocrinology2025
Efficacy of dexamethasone intravitreal implant combined with anti-VEGF drugs in the treatment of diabetic macular edema: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Frontiers in endocrinology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Diabetic macular edema (DME) remains a leading cause of vision loss in diabetic patients. Although anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) agents are first-line treatments, corticosteroids like dexamethasone (DEX) intravitreal implant have shown potential synergistic effects. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of DEX intravitreal implant combined with anti-VEGF agents compared to anti-VEGF monotherapy. Methods: A systematic search of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Science Direct, Wiley online, and Google scholar was performed up to April 2025. Primary outcomes were changes in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central macular thickness (CMT). Meta-analyses were performed using Review Manager (RevMan) version 4.4.1. Results: Eight studies comprising a total of 597 eyes were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled analysis demonstrated no statistically significant difference in BCVA between combination therapy and anti-VEGF monotherapy (Mean Difference [MD] = 1.79; 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: -1.68 to 5.26, Conclusions: DEX combined with anti-VEGF agents confers superior anatomical outcomes in reducing CMT compared to anti-VEGF monotherapy in the management of DME. However, further large-scale, multicenter randomized controlled trials with extended follow-up are warranted to validate these findings and optimize treatment protocols.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.