What Lies beneath Diabetic Macular Edema: Latent Phenotypic Clustering and Differential Treatment Responses to Intravitreal Therapies.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

To identify latent phenotypic subgroups of diabetic macular edema (DME) using artificial intelligence-based OCT metrics and evaluate whether treatment responses to anti-VEGF and dexamethasone (DEX) therapies differ across these phenotypic clusters.

Methods

Retrospective study including 114 eyes (82 patients) with treatment-naïve DME. Quantitative OCT metrics, including intraretinal fluid (IRF) and subretinal fluid volumes, IRF % distribution within central 0-1, 1-3, and 3-6 mm, hyperreflective foci counts, and ellipsoid zone (EZ) % disruption, were analyzed before and after treatment.

Main outcome measures

Gaussian finite mixture modeling was used to identify distinct DME subgroups. Changes in visual acuity (VA) and OCT parameters following anti-VEGF or DEX th

SUBMITTER: Cicinelli MV 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12686911 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature