A Treatment Protocol for the Use of Intravenous Ganciclovir in AIDS Patients With Immediately Sight-Threatening CMV Retinitis

To determine the safety and effectiveness of intravenous ganciclovir (also known as DHPG) in the treatment of sight-threatening cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis in patients with AIDS. CMV retinitis is a severe vision-threatening viral infection of the retina of the eye. It occurs in patients whose immune function has been impaired and is the most common cause of blindness in patients with AIDS. Ganciclovir (GCV) improved the signs and symptoms of CMV retinitis in approximately 80 percent of the patients treated for 2 weeks, but almost all of the patients treated with GCV had a relapse after treatment was stopped. Thus, it is important to determine if GCV can be safely given over a long period of time (maintenance therapy) and if it is effective in preventing a relapse of CMV retinitis.