Oral Rifampin treatment for longstanding chronic central serous chorioretinopathy

Purpose To investigate the effect of oral Rifampin in patients with chronic central serous chorioretinoapthy (CSCR). Methods This was a prospective pilot study of patients with chronic CSCR with persistent subretinal fluid (SRF) for at least 3 months, who were treated with oral Rifampin 300 mg twice per day for 3 months and had 6 months of follow-up. All patients underwent a complete ocular examination and a spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) scan monthly from baseline until month 4, and then at month 6. Fluorescein angiography (FA) was performed at baseline and at the end of the study. Results Fourteen eyes of 12 patients were included in the study, nine men and three women. Mean age was 58.5 years (range 32-80). Mean duration of SRF prior to study entry was 28.4 months. Forty-two percent of eyes were treated previously for CSR with thermal laser, PDT, or intravitreal bevacizumab. Mean best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at presentation was 20/60 and improved to a mean of 20/50 at month 3 (P>0.05). Retinal thickness was reduced by 25.3 %, 21.2 %, and 21 % on months 1, 2, 3, respectively (P<0.05). Mean choroidal thickness at presentation was 476 mu (SD 188 mu) decreasing to 427 mu (SD 125 mu) after 3 months of treatment (P>0.05). SRF was reduced in nine eyes (64 %) and completely resolved in six eyes (42.8 %) at month 3 following 3 months of treatment, and four out of these six eyes remained fluid free at month 6. Two patients stopped the treatment after 2 months due to adverse events. Conclusions Oral Rifampin may be a therapeutic option in patients with longstanding chronic CSCR.