VITRECTOMY WITH SUBRETINAL TISSUE PLASMINOGEN ACTIVATOR AND GAS TAMPONADE FOR SUBFOVEAL HEMORRHAGE: Prognostic Factors and Clinical Outcomes

Early surgical displacement of submacular hemorrhage without tissue plasminogen activator use: one-year outcomes

OBJECTIVE

This study evaluated changes in best-corrected visual acuity and submacular hemorrhage (SMH) resolution in eyes after a single rapid subretinal displacement surgery using subretinal balanced saline solution and sterile air without tissue plasminogen activator (tPA).

DESIGN

A retrospective comparative interventional analysis.

PARTICIPANTS

Twenty-six eyes with thick SMH who underwent pars plana vitrectomy and subretinal fluid displacement without tPA from 2015 and 2021 and at least 1-year of follow-up.

METHODS

Surgical intervention included a standard small-gauge pars plana vitrectomy with subretinal displacement using balanced saline solution with subretinal sterile air and partial gas-air fluid exchange. Main outcome measures included degree of subfoveal SMH displacement, best and final postoperative visual acuities, and adverse events. Snellen acuity was converted to logMARs for statistical analysis.

RESULTS

The most common etiology associated with thick SMH (92.3%) was neovascular age-related macular degeneration. Within 1 month postoperatively, 21 patients (80.8%) saw complete subfoveal blood displacement. Most of the SMH surgical displacements were done within 1 week of presenting symptoms. Average preoperative duration of SMH was 3.60 ± 2.78 days (range, 1-12 days). Mean logMAR best-corrected visual acuity improved from 1.63 ± 0.58 (Snellen 20/800 baseline) to 0.90 ± 0.42 letters (Snellen 20/160) at last follow-up (p = 0.001). This study's visual acuity improvement is comparable with that of prior studies using tPA. Early postoperative complications included 1 retinal detachment, 1 vitreous hemorrhage, and 1 macular hole.

CONCLUSION

Rapid surgery with subretinal balanced saline solution-sterile air injection without tPA was found to be effective for displacement of thick SMH with retinal function, visual acuity, and corneal refractive therapy improvement.

VITRECTOMY WITH SUBRETINAL INJECTION OF RECOMBINANT TISSUE PLASMINOGEN ACTIVATOR FOR SUBMACULAR HEMORRHAGE WITH OR WITHOUT VITREOUS HEMORRHAGE

PURPOSE

To evaluate the outcomes and prognostic factors of pars plana vitrectomy combined with subretinal injection of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator for submacular hemorrhage (SMH) patients with or without vitreous hemorrhage (VH).

METHODS

Sixty-four eyes of 64 patients with SMH underwent pars plana vitrectomy with subretinal injection of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator. Best-corrected visual acuity, SMH displacement, and postoperative complications were analyzed. Predictive factors of the final best-corrected visual acuity were determined using multivariant linear regression.

RESULTS

There were 26 eyes with VH and 38 eyes without VH best-corrected visual acuity significantly improved in both VH group (from 2.27 ± 0.40 to 1.25 ± 0.70 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution) and non-VH group (from 1.76 ± 0.55 to 0.85 ± 0.65 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution). Complete displacement of SMHs was observed in 47 (73.43%) eyes. Postoperative complications included recurrent SMH (4.69%), recurrent VH (10.94%), rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (3.13%), and epiretinal membrane (4.68%). Treatment-naive condition, early surgery, and younger age were significantly associated with better final best-corrected visual acuity ( B = 0.502, 0.303, and 0.021, respectively, with all P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Pars plana vitrectomy combined with subretinal recombinant tissue plasminogen activator injection is an effective treatment for SMH patients with and without VH.

Outcomes in the Treatment of Subretinal Macular Hemorrhage Secondary to Age-Related Macular Degeneration: A Systematic Review

Background: Subretinal macular hemorrhage (SRMH) secondary to age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a relatively rare condition in ophthalmology characterized by blood collection between the neurosensory retina and the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). Without prompt treatment, visual prognosis is poor. A plethora of treatment approaches have been tried over the past years ranging from intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) monotherapy to direct subretinal surgery, with no conclusive superiority of one over the other. Materials and Methods: We conducted a systematic review of the outcomes and treatment modalities of SRMH from inception to 14 June 2022, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines (PRISMA). The level of evidence was assessed for all included articles according to the quality of evidence according to the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) system. Results: A total of 2745 articles were initially extracted, out of which 1654 articles were obtained after duplicates were removed and their abstracts screened. A total of 155 articles were included for full-text review. Finally, 81 articles remained that fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Conclusions: Even though there are solid results supporting a variety of treatments for SRMH, the best treatment modality has still not been conclusively demonstrated and further research is needed.

Macular Hemorrhage Due to Age-Related Macular Degeneration or Retinal Arterial Macroaneurysm: Predictive Factors of Surgical Outcome

Objective: The study aimed to determine the outcomes and prognostic factors of vitrectomy, subretinal injection of tissue-plasminogen activator and gas tamponade in macular hemorrhage (MaH) due to age-related macular degeneration (AMD) or retinal arterial macroaneurysm (RAM). Methods: The study design utilized a multicentric retrospective case series design of consecutive patients undergoing surgery between 2014 and 2019. Results: A total of 65 eyes from 65 patients were included in the study. Surgery was performed after a mean period of 7.1 days. Displacement of MaH was achieved in 82% of the eyes. Mean best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) improved from 20/500 to 20/125 at month(M)1 and M6 (p < 0.05). At M6, BCVA worsening was associated with an older age at diagnosis (p = 0.0002) and higher subretinal OCT elevation of MaH (p = 0.03). The use of treat and extend (TE) (OR = 16.7, p = 0.001) and small MaH fundus size (OR = 0.64 and 0.74 for horizontal and vertical fundus size, p < 0.05) were predictive of a higher likelihood of obtaining a countable BCVA at M1. Baseline BCVA was predictive of postoperative BCVA (p < 0.05). Retinal detachment and MaH recurrence occurred in 3% and 9.3% of cases at M6. Conclusion: MaH surgery stabilizes or improves BCVA in 85% of cases. Younger age at diagnosis, better baseline BCVA figures, smaller subretinal MaH height and use of TE regime were predictive of the best postoperative outcomes.