Spontaneous vitreous hemorrhage: etiology and management

Safety profile and surgical outcomes of early vitrectomy in eyes with unexplained fundus-obscuring vitreous haemorrhage

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the safety profile and the surgical outcomes in a large cohort of subjects undergoing early vitrectomy for unexplained fundus-obscuring vitreous haemorrhage (FOVH).

METHODS

Retrospective, single-centre case series of 186 consecutive eyes presenting between January 2018 and February 2020. Primary outcomes included change in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), rate of intra-operative retinal tears or retinal detachment (RD), baseline proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR), association of demographics with clinical outcomes, and rate of significant adverse events characterised by reoperation.

RESULTS

Main final diagnosis was haemorrhagic posterior vitreous detachment (76%) and the overall risk of a retinal tear with or without RD found at the time of surgery was 69%. Vitrectomy was completed within 24 h in 94% of eyes. Rate of RD was 18%; all cases were macula-sparing with no PVR. Mean change in BCVA from baseline to final follow-up was -1.53 ± 0.69 LogMAR, p < 0.001. Time from presentation to surgery was significantly associated with final BCVA (p = 0.036, beta co-efficient 0.097). There was a significant association between presence of RD and age <60 y (OR 0.94, 95%CI [0.90-0.98], p = 0.003). 4.8% required repeated vitrectomy for post-operative RD (4), epiretinal membrane formation (3), removal of oil (1), and recurrent FOVH (1). None of these reoperations were induced by complications during the first surgery.

CONCLUSION

There is a high rate of retinal breaks in cases with unexplained FOVH, and the risk of a concomitant RD is higher in younger subjects. Early vitrectomy within 24 h appears a safe first-line treatment and yields good clinical outcomes.

A Proposed Method to Quantify Vitreous Hemorrhage by Ultrasound

Purpose

To propose a method for quantification of vitreous hemorrhages (VH) termed minimum image gain (MIG). Therefore, to obtain MIG measurements in patients with VH and to compare them to normal controls; to compare results between graders; and to obtain and compare MIG from two different ultrasound systems.

Methods

Retrospective and cross-sectional, observational, and comparative study performed in two parts: Part 1) Retrospective comparison of MIG in VH vs controls by two experienced graders, with intra/inter-observer variability: MIG technique is described. MIG is performed retrospectively in two groups, VH patients and normal controls. Groups are compared with independent samples t-test. Intra- and interobserver variability between graders was obtained. Part 2) Cross-sectional analysis of variability from nonexperienced graders and with different ultrasound systems: MIG is performed in cross-sectional measurements of VH patients, by two unexperienced graders, and with two ultrasound systems. Interobserver variability and Bland–Altman plot with levels of agreement (LoA) were obtained.

Results

Part 1: 50 patients with VH resulted in mean MIG: 52.8 dB; 34 controls resulted in mean MIG: 77.97 dB. Independent samples t-test resulted in a statistical significant difference. Intra- and inter-observer variability resulted in an almost perfect agreement between experienced graders. Part 2: 63 patients with VH, mean MIG: 56.19 dB. Inter-observer variability resulted in a very high agreement between unexperienced observers. LoA resulted in a statistical difference between the two ultrasound systems.

Conclusion

MIG may provide an objective and reproducible way to quantify vitreous hemorrhage density and potentially any vitreous humor opacity. Agreement is high even with unexperienced graders. However, the two ultrasound systems analyzed may not be interchangeable.

Acute-Onset Vitreous Hemorrhage of Unknown Origin before Vitrectomy: Causes and Prognosis

Purpose. To analyze causes and prognosis of acute-onset preoperatively unknown origin vitreous hemorrhage (VH). Methods. This study included patients who underwent vitrectomy for acute-onset preoperatively unknown origin VH. The underlying causes of VH, which were identified after vitrectomy, were analyzed. And overall visual prognosis of unknown origin VH was analyzed. Risk scoring system was developed to predict visual prognosis after vitrectomy. Results. 169 eyes were included. Among these, retinal vein occlusion (RVO), retinal break, and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) were identified in 74 (43.8%), 50 (29.6%), and 21 (12.4%) patients, respectively. After vitrectomy, logMAR BCVA significantly improved from 1.93 ± 0.59 to 0.47 ± 0.71. However, postoperative BCVA in AMD eyes were significantly poorer than others. Poor visual prognosis after vitrectomy was associated with old age, poor preoperative vision in both eyes, and drusen in the fellow eye. Conclusions. RVO, retinal break, and AMD are the most common causes of acute-onset preoperatively unknown origin VH and the most common causes of VH change with age. The visual prognosis of unknown origin VH is relatively good, except among AMD patients. Older patients with poor preoperative BCVA in both eyes and patients with AMD in the fellow eye are at a higher risk of poor visual prognosis following vitrectomy.

Successful use of recombinant activated factor VII in the treatment of vitreous haemorrhage: a report of seven cases

Vitreous haemorrhage poses a serious threat to vision if untreated. Therapeutic options remain scarce and surgical intervention to resolve persistent bleeding is associated with risks that may further compromise vision. We report the use of recombinant activated factor VII (rFVIIa) in seven patients (six men, one woman; age, 30-65 years) with vitreous haemorrhage and severe reduction in visual acuity caused by trauma (n = 4) or proliferative diabetic retinopathy (n = 3). Initial doses ranged from 60 to 140 microg/kg; most patients received maintenance therapy with 20-60 microg/kg for at least 3 days. One patient received rFVIIa treatment for only 24 h and suffered a re-bleed, controlled successfully with further rFVIIa therapy. Five patients responded well to rFVIIa treatment, with reduced symptoms and improvements in visual acuity. Late presentation several days after trauma or symptom onset may have contributed to poor outcomes in the two patients who failed to respond to rFVIIa therapy. No adverse events were observed. An initial dose of rFVIIa 60-140 microg/kg, followed by 20-60 microg/kg repeated at 8-h intervals for 3-5 days, appears to be an effective therapeutic option for vitreous haemorrhage. However, further studies of rFVIIa use in this indication are warranted.

A prospective study of dense spontaneous vitreous hemorrhage

PURPOSE

We studied the incidence of vitreous hemorrhage in a well-defined population to determine the underlying causes of such hemorrhages.

METHODS

We prospectively studied all eyes with dense spontaneous first-time vitreous hemorrhage during a 2 1/2-year period in the greater Göteborg area (542,000 inhabitants). Follow-up time was one year.

RESULTS

Ninety-four patients (95 eyes) were included, corresponding to a yearly incidence of seven cases per 100,000 inhabitants. Because of demographic factors and the organization of Swedish ophthalmologic care, we believe that this is close to the true incidence. The cause of vitreous hemorrhage could be verified in all but four eyes but frequently not until late in the follow-up period. The most common underlying cause was vitreous detachment and traction to a retinal vessel (39 eyes). In 28 of these eyes a retinal tear was also present. Five of these eyes developed a retinal detachment. In 19 eyes, bleeding was caused by proliferative diabetic retinopathy. This figure was relatively smaller than in previous studies. Retinal vein occlusion was the cause of hemorrhage in 15 eyes. Retinal macroaneurysm (seven eyes) was an easily overlooked cause, often diagnosed late in the follow-up period.

CONCLUSIONS

Because of the common diagnostic difficulties and the frequent need for laser treatment, vitrectomy, or both, it is recommended that eyes with vitreous hemorrhage be followed up in centers with ultrasonographic and surgical expertise.

Posterior capsule opacification

A complication of extracapsular cataract extraction with or without posterior chamber intraocular lens (PC-IOL) implantation is posterior capsule opacification. This condition is usually secondary to a proliferation and migration of residual lens epithelial cells. Opacification may be reduced by atraumatic surgery and thorough cortical clean-up. Clinical, pathological and experimental studies have shown that use of hydrodissection, the continuous curvilinear capsulorhexis and specific IOL designs may help reduce the incidence of this complication. Capsular-fixated, one-piece all-polymethylmethacrylate PC-IOLs with a C-shaped loop configuration and a posterior convexity of the optic are effective. Polymethylmethacrylate loops that retain "memory" create a symmetric, radial stretch on the posterior capsule after in-the-bag placement, leading to a more complete contact between the posterior surface of the IOL optic and the taut capsule. This may help form a barrier against central migration of epithelial cells into the visual axis. Various pharmacological and immunological methods are being investigated but conclusive data on these modalities are not yet available.

Intraocular lenses: a histopathologic study of eyes, ocular tissues, and intraocular lenses obtained surgically

Eyes, ocular tissues, and intraocular lenses obtained surgically from 179 eyes of 177 patients were studied to determine the histopathologic features of complications related to anterior chamber, iris-fixation, iridocapsular, and posterior chamber lens implantation.

The eyes of Woodrow Wilson. Retinal vascular disease and George de Schweinitz

Woodrow Wilson suffered a retinal hemorrhage in 1906, which is central to a historical controversy over whether medical problems significantly affected his political behavior prior to his stroke of October 1919. In terms of modern knowledge, the most likely cause of the event of 1906 is a retinal vein occlusion. Confidence in this judgment is gained from evidence that George de Schweinitz, one of the prominent ophthalmologists of his day, examined Wilson and showed through writings that he was well aware of the major categories of retinal vascular disease that are recognized today. Wilson was also subject to more ordinary problems, illustrated by anecdotes about his refractive errors, difficulty in learning to read, asthenopic symptoms, and visual problems with golf.

Avulsed retinal veins without retinal breaks

A localized segment of a retinal vein can be avulsed or torn from the retina by vitreous traction without a concurrent retinal break or tear. Eight eyes in eight patients (five women and three men, 20 to 69 years old) with avulsed retinal veins without retinal breaks showed a wide range of underlying retinal abnormalities, including background diabetic retinopathy, pars planitis, and involutional proliferative retinopathies. Such avulsed retinal veins often cause recurrent vitreous hemorrhage. Despite vitreous hemorrhages in six of the eight eyes, the visual prognoses were excellent in all eyes. An avulsed retinal vein must be considered in the differential diagnosis of those patients with proliferative retinopathies who have vitreous hemorrhage.