{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,17]],"date-time":"2026-08-17T17:29:00Z","timestamp":1786987740027,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":40,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"16","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,17]],"date-time":"2026-08-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1786924800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["J. Clin. Med.","JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Objectives: We sought to evaluate the early efficacy of faricimab (Vabysmo\u00ae) in treating diabetic macular edema (DME) and to explore the predictive value of multi-slice optical coherence tomography (OCT) biomarkers for anatomical and visual outcomes. Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, 26 anti-VEGF-naive DME patients (36 eyes) treated with intravitreal faricimab were analyzed from baseline through 6 months of follow-up. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was recorded, while central subfield thickness (CST) and various OCT biomarkers were evaluated using multi-slice OCT quantitative analysis. Logistic and linear regression models were utilized to examine predictive factors, and scatter plots were employed to assess the correlation between anatomical improvement and functional visual gain. Results: Changes in CST and BCVA, along with the evolution and predictive power of OCT biomarkers\u2014including vitreomacular interface (VMI), epiretinal membrane (ERM), disorganization of the retinal inner layers (DRIL), intraretinal cysts (IRCs), hyperreflective foci (HRF), hard exudates (HEs), large outer-nuclear-layer cavities (LONLCs), ellipsoid zone disruption (EZD), and subretinal fluid (SRF)\u2014were assessed. Post-treatment CST demonstrated rapid and significant reduction, decreasing from 377.7 \u03bcm (95% CI: 347.0\u2013408.4) at baseline to 312.8 \u03bcm (95% CI: 287.5\u2013338.2; p &lt; 0.0001) at month 3 and 291.5 \u03bcm (95% CI: 275.6\u2013307.4; p &lt; 0.0001) at month 6, with an approximately 48 \u03bcm reduction post-first injection. Overall intraocular pressure (IOP) and BCVA showed no statistically significant improvement. Baseline analysis indicated that EZD was significantly associated with older age (p = 0.029), worse initial BCVA (p = 0.005), and thicker CST (p = 0.002). After adjusting for initial CST in the linear regression model, we identified the presence of baseline HEs as the sole independent predictor of substantial anatomical improvement (B = 45.9, p = 0.002). Conclusions: Faricimab demonstrated rapid and significant early anatomical improvements. Baseline HEs independently predicted the extent of CST reduction, potentially reflecting the greater fluid burden of eyes with more severe barrier breakdown. Baseline EZD was observed exclusively among eyes that did not achieve complete anatomical remission, although the small number of EZD-positive eyes (n = 7) precludes firm conclusions.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm15166356","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,17]],"date-time":"2026-08-17T16:35:08Z","timestamp":1786984508000},"page":"6356","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Beyond Central Subfield Thickness: Early Multi-Slice Optical Coherence Tomography Structural Response After Faricimab Injection in Real-World Diabetic Macular Edema"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0008-9920-712X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"De-Yi","family":"Liu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology, China Medical University Hospital, China Medical University, Taichung 404328, Taiwan"},{"name":"Department of General Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 404328, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Shiao-Ling","family":"Wu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology, China Medical University Hospital, China Medical University, Taichung 404328, Taiwan"},{"name":"Department of General Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 404328, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9398-1316","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ning-Yi","family":"Hsia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology, China Medical University Hospital, China Medical University, Taichung 404328, Taiwan"},{"name":"School of Medicine, College of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung 404328, Taiwan"},{"name":"Department of Optometry, Asia University, Taichung 413305, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9099-3151","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Peng-Tai","family":"Tien","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology, China Medical University Hospital, China Medical University, Taichung 404328, Taiwan"},{"name":"School of Medicine, College of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung 404328, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7880-9198","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Chun-Ju","family":"Lin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology, China Medical University Hospital, China Medical University, Taichung 404328, Taiwan"},{"name":"School of Medicine, College of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung 404328, Taiwan"},{"name":"Department of Optometry, Asia University, Taichung 413305, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"I","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology, China Medical University Hospital, China Medical University, Taichung 404328, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Chun-Ting","family":"Lai","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology, China Medical University Hospital, China Medical University, Taichung 404328, Taiwan"},{"name":"School of Medicine, College of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung 404328, Taiwan"},{"name":"Department of Optometry, Asia University, Taichung 413305, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jane-Ming","family":"Lin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology, China Medical University Hospital, China Medical University, Taichung 404328, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9246-8756","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Yu-Te","family":"Huang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology, China Medical University Hospital, China Medical University, Taichung 404328, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0004-9123-5389","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Bing-Qi","family":"Wu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology, China Medical University Hospital, China Medical University, Taichung 404328, Taiwan"},{"name":"Department of General Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 404328, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Wei-Ning","family":"Lin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology, China Medical University Hospital, China Medical University, Taichung 404328, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Wei-Ning","family":"Ku","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology, China Medical University Hospital, China Medical University, Taichung 404328, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ping-Ping","family":"Meng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology, China Medical University Hospital, China Medical University, Taichung 404328, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Huan-Sheng","family":"Chen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"An-Shin Dialysis Center, Excelsior Renal Service Co., Ltd. Taiwan Branch, Taichung 436018, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yi-Yu","family":"Tsai","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology, China Medical University Hospital, China Medical University, Taichung 404328, Taiwan"},{"name":"School of Medicine, College of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung 404328, Taiwan"},{"name":"Department of Optometry, Asia University, Taichung 413305, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,17]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1334","DOI":"10.1001\/jamaophthalmol.2014.2854","article-title":"Prevalence of and risk factors for diabetic macular edema in the United States","volume":"132","author":"Varma","year":"2014","journal-title":"JAMA Ophthalmol."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"143","DOI":"10.1016\/S2213-8587(16)30052-3","article-title":"Diabetic macular oedema","volume":"5","author":"Tan","year":"2017","journal-title":"Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"427","DOI":"10.1007\/s00281-019-00750-7","article-title":"The role of inflammation in diabetic eye disease","volume":"41","author":"Mesquida","year":"2019","journal-title":"Semin. 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