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Primary ocular lymphoma is the ocular manifestation of primary oculocerebral non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. We describe a 79-year-old woman with a 7-year history of bilateral uveitis and subsequent central nervous system lymphomas. Repeated diagnostic vitrectomy during the following 5 years failed to demonstrate intraocular lymphoma cells. Within 9 months after the second vitrectomy, an epibulbar tumor developed in the limbal region of the left eye at the site of the sclerotomy. The eye, blind and painful due to secondary angle-closure glaucoma, was enucleated. Histopathologically, the globe showed a diffuse large B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma extending from the ciliary body outward through the sclerotomy. We conclude that, following vitrectomy, a primary ocular lymphoma may extend through the sclerotomy lesion and present as an epibulbar tumor. Uveal involvement may occur in oculocerebral non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Purpose: Neovascular glaucoma develops on a background of ischemic ocular pathologies, such as diabetic eye diseases or central retinal vein occlusion. Development of neovascular membranes in the chamber angle leads to elevated intraocular pressure (IOP). Since cyclodestructive therapy or drainage surgery often fails, we have examined intense antiproliferative surgery as a treatment for advanced neovascular glaucoma., Patients and Methods: Thirty-two patients with uncontrolled neovascular glaucoma (mean IOP 45.5 mmHg) subsequent to central retinal vein occlusion or advanced diabetic retinopathy underwent antiproliferative surgery, which comprised pars plana vitrectomy, panretinal laser treatment and direct laser coagulation of the ciliary processes, followed by silicone oil tamponade. Patients were followed up for a minimum of 1 year and as long as 3 years., Results: One week following surgery the IOP was normal, ranging from 8 to 21 mmHg, in 52% of eyes (15/29). After 3 months the IOP was normal in 50% (16/32); after 6 months, in 59% (16/27); and after 1 year, in 72% (18/25). Of the 10 eyes that lost all sight after the surgery, 7 eyes had a history of central retinal vein occlusion. Hypotony was observed in 6% of the eyes (2/32) 3 months after surgery; after 6 months hypotony was present in 15% (4/27), and after 1 year hypotony was present in 12% (3/25)., Conclusions: The theoretical premise of our surgical intervention (antiproliferative surgery) is that laser treatment interrupts the self-enhancing pathway of retinal ischemia, release of proliferative factors and increase in intraocular pressure. The silicone oil endotamponade prevents postoperative complications and supports the rapid regression of rubeosis iridis by separating the anterior from the posterior segment.

Purpose: To assess the efficacy and safety of adjunctive daunorubicin during vitrectomy surgery in eyes with idiopathic proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR)., Methods: Two hundred eighty-six eyes (286 patients) with stage C2 (Retina Society Classification, 1983) or more advanced preoperative PVR in which surgery with silicone oil was planned were enrolled in a multicenter, prospective, randomized, controlled clinical trial. Standardized surgery plus adjunctive daunorubicin perfusion was compared with surgery alone. Outcomes assessed were retinal attachment without additional vitreoretinal surgery 6 months after standardized surgery, number of and time until vitreoretinal reoperations within 1 year of standardized surgery, and change in visual acuity 1 year after standardized surgery, evaluated by photodocumentation, number of reoperations, and measurement of best-corrected visual function. Outcomes were determined 6 months after operation and reevaluated after 1 year of follow-up., Results: Six months after standardized surgery, complete retinal reattachment without additional vitreoretinal surgery was achieved in 62.7% (89/142) of eyes in the daunorubicin group vs 54.1% (73/135) in the control group (P = .07, one-sided). However, in the daunorubicin group, significantly fewer vitreoretinal reoperations were performed within 1 year postoperatively (P = .005, one-sided) to achieve the same overall 1-year retinal reattachment rate (80.2% [105/131] vs 81.8% [103/126]). The rate of patients with no vitreoretinal reoperations was 65.5% (95/145) in the daunorubicin group vs 53.9% (76/141) in the control group. There was no difference in the best-corrected visual acuity. No severe adverse effect related to daunorubicin was identified., Conclusions: Although the rate of anatomic success after 6 months failed to show significance, some benefit of the adjunctive treatment exists, especially a tendency toward increased rate of reattachment and a significant reduction in the number of reoperations. This shows that human PVR is amenable to pharmacologic treatment.

Background: Vitrectomy serves as an important treatment modality in uveitis, removing inflamed vitreous body and eliminating secondary complications. The aim of our retrospective study was to evaluate the value of vitrectomy in the treatment of complications in uveitis., Patients and Method: We included 50 eyes of 50 patients suffering from chronic uveitis, which underwent vitrectomy surgery during the period of 1990 to 1993. The study only included patients who had vitrectomy for uveitis for the first time. Indications leading to surgery were density of optic media, retinal detachment, cyclitic or preretinal membranes. The mean follow-up was 455 (range 48-1420) days., Results: Vitrectomy was performed at a mean delay of 452 days after initial presentation. The mean visual acuity at the time of surgery was 0.05. The best visual acuity postoperatively was measured at a mean time of 118 days after vitrectomy. Overall, at the last control, eyes with preoperative retinal detachment presented a much worse final functional result (visual acuity of 0.02) than eyes without detachment (visual acuity of 0.5). Ten eyes resulted in hypotonia after surgery (7 eyes with persisting hypotonia). Most frequent complications in the postoperative course were macular pucker (11 eyes), secondary glaucoma (10 eyes), macular edema (6 eyes) and retinal detachment (6 eyes). Fifty percent of all complications occurred within the first 3 months following surgery., Conclusion: Vitrectomy leads to a permanent increase in visual acuity through the treatment of complications, on the condition that a stable retinal situation was present preoperatively.

Objective: Intravitreal fibrin formation is a frequent observation after vitrectomy performed for a variety of vitreoretinal disorders including proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR), proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR), and endophthalmitis. Plasminogen activators (PA) have been used for the management of this postoperative complication. This approach requires the presence of plasminogen, the substrate for PA mediated fibrinolysis, in the vitreal cavity., Methods: Quantification of plasminogen in the vitreous of 60 patients with PVR, PDR, and macular pucker was performed by streptokinase mediated activation using a chromogenic substrate. The presence of immunoreactive plasminogen was confirmed by immunoblot analysis of vitreal proteins and immunocytochemistry of surgically removed epiretinal membranes., Results: Plasminogen levels were dramatically increased in the vitreous of PVR and PDR patients compared with macular pucker patients and normal controls. Staining for plasminogen in epiretinal membranes was confined to the extracellular matrix. Predominant staining of perivascular areas in PDR specimens indicated that breakdown of the blood-retinal barrier is an important source of intravitreal plasminogen in that condition., Conclusion: Plasminogen may play a role in traction membrane formation in PVR and PDR. Our biochemical analysis of presurgical vitreous indicates that there may be abundant substrate for PA mediated fibrinolysis in the vitreous cavity after vitrectomy.

Background: Functional results following vitrectomy with intraocular and systemic antibiotic treatment for endophthalmitis are influenced by numerous factors., Methods: A retrospective study of 65 cases of endophthalmitis treated between October 1988 and May 1994 at the Department of Ophthalmology, University of Cologne, Germany was conducted. All eyes underwent pars plana vitrectomy and intraocular and systemic antibiotic treatment., Results: Vision of 20/400 or better could be obtained in 66% of eyes following extracapsular cataract extraction and intraocular lens implantation (ECCE + IOL), in 62% after severe eye injury, in 36% of eyes after intraocular surgery for other reasons than cataract extraction with lens implantation and in 33% of patients with endogenous endophthalmitis. Vision of 20/50 or better could be achieved in 41% of eyes following ECCE + IOL and additional systemic steroid treatment. In 22% of cases primary silicone endotamponade was performed; 57% of these eyes obtained visual acuity of 20/400 or better. Fifteen patients (23%) suffered diabetes mellitus; 20/400 vision or better could be achieved in 73% of these eyes. Visual acuity of hand movements or better before vitrectomy was associated with 20/400 vision or better in 69% of cases, whereas ambulatory vision could be attained in only 33% of patients with visual acuity of worse than hand movements at the initial presentation. Visual acuity of less than 20/400 was found in all eyes with haemolytic streptococcal infections., Conclusion: Prompt treatment of endophthalmitis is crucial. Additional treatment using systemic steroids and, if necessary, silicone oil can improve the functional outcome in some cases.

Aim/background: Viewing the peripheral retina is the major problem in the repair of pseudophakic retinal detachments. Conventional buckling procedures in pseudophakic eyes are complicated by persistent retinal (re-) detachment and proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) more often than in phakic eyes., Methods: Primary vitrectomy was performed in 33 consecutive cases for pseudophakic retinal detachment with the help of liquid perfluorocarbons and a wide angle viewing system, following a standardised procedure. All eyes have passed the 12 month follow up examination., Results: The primary reattachment rate was 94%. PVR was observed in one case (3%). Seventy nine per cent (26 eyes) regained vision of 20/50 or better, with a median visual acuity of 20/30. The most frequent complication was transient glaucoma during the early postoperative period in 48% (16 eyes) requiring carboanhydrase inhibitors., Conclusion: The main advantage of primary vitrectomy over conventional buckling seems to be the better intraoperative sight to the most peripheral retinal holes, controlled removal of vitreous traction, and focused endolaser coagulation. This may explain the low rate of PVR after primary vitrectomy. Also, visual results tended to be better compared with conventional surgical techniques possibly because of removed vitreous opacities, and because of a superior retinal reattachment rate as well as the reduced rate of PVR.

Objective: To describe the pathogenic mechanism for a central retinal detachment in eyes with a pit of the optic disc., Design: Three patients with macular detachment associated with optic nerve head pits were prospectively controlled following pars plana vitrectomy., Methods: Three cases of macular detachment associated with congenital optic nerve pit were treated with pars plana vitrectomy and air-fluid exchange and sulphur hexafloride (SF6) gas injection. During vitrectomy posterior hyaloid removal caused visible traction on the elevated retina, when the hyaloid detached. Removing the posterior hyaloid resulted in reattachment of the macular and an increase in the visual acuity without laser treatment., Conclusion: We recommend the removal of the posterior hyaloid face during pars plana vitrectomy in patients with central macular detachment associated with a pit of the optic disc.

Purpose: The cellular composition of primary and recurrent periretinal proliferations has been widely described. The use of daunomycin, an antiproliferative antibiotic, has been recommended to reduce these proliferations. Two recurrent membranes after intraoperative application of daunomycin were examined., Methods: Two epiretinal membranes, which were removed 5 months and 20 months after vitrectomy with daunomycin, were examined by light and electron microscopy to determine the structure and cellular composition of these membranes., Results: The matrix of the membranes consisted of new collagen with fiber diameters between 20 and 22 nm. Fibrocytes and macrophages were present in both specimens. Retinal pigment epithelial cells and fibrous astrocytes were present in only one specimen., Conclusion: Retinal pigment epithelial cells, which are consistently present in primary periretinal membranes, were found in only one of the two specimens examined. Myofibroblasts, also normally present, were not found. The other cells found are typically seen in primary periretinal proliferations.

In a prospective study we investigated the visual acuity and differential light sensitivity in 39 patients (40 eyes) with reattached macula. One group, treated with an encircling band (21 eyes), was compared to another, where vitrectomy and silicone oil injection had been necessary (19 eyes). Intraoperatively 9 of the vitrectomized eyes received an infusion of daunomycin (7.5 mg/l for 10 min). On average the vitrectomized eyes had a greater loss of visual acuity and differential light sensitivity. In all groups we found a positive correlation between visual acuity and the differential light sensitivity. At the same visual acuity we did not find any obvious difference in sensitivity between the groups. Correlation and regression line were similar for both groups. The mean relative sensitivity was lower in the fovea than in the rest of the tested field. A selective effect of silicone oil on either spatial resolution or differential light sensitivity could not be verified. The intraoperative application of daunomycin had no influence on the functional results.

We describe the long-term results after treatment of 68 eyes in advanced stages of proliferative vitreoretinopathy with vitrectomy, daunomycin perfusion, and silicone oil injection. Six reoperations were performed. After 18 months, 73% of the eyes showed no signs of retinal detachment and 89% had a visual acuity greater than 20/800. These results are better than those reported in previously published studies. Whether this improvement is due to the daunomycin treatment or to more aggressive surgical techniques, such as retinotomies, remains to be answered by a randomized trial.

We present a retrospective study on keratopathy following vitrectomy and injection of SF96 silicone oil (viscosity 1000 centipoise, n = 232 eyes) and the purified OP 1000 silicone oil (viscosity 1000 centipoise, n = 129 eyes). In cases with aniridia, with closed inferior basal iridectomy (IBI) or without IBI, keratopathy was found in 74 of the 166 eyes (45%) injected with silicone SF96 and in 14 of the 30 eyes (47%) injected with silicone OP 1000. An intact IBI reduced the incidence of keratopathy to 0% (SF96, 0/45 eyes) or 6% (OP1000, 5/88 eyes) when the anterior chamber was free of silicone. When silicone oil was in contact with the corneal endothelium (due to periretinal reproliferation, hypotony, overfilling or droplet formation), there was corneal decompensation in 66% (SF96, 14/21 eyes) or 55% (OP1000, 6/11 eyes). The keratopathy presents as calcified band keratopathy or diffuse bullous corneal edema as in "endothelial decompensation." These variations in keratopathy are in agreement with the following basic diagnoses: 77% (43/56 eyes) of trauma patients (n = 130) develop calcified band keratopathy, and 47% (24/51 eyes) of patients with idiopathic proliferative vitreoretinopathy (n = 182) present with diffuse bullous corneal edema.

Performing early vitrectomy with primary silicone oil filling in 11 severely injured eyes (large or multiple intraocular foreign bodies, double perforations, ruptures - all with vitreous hemorrhage and retinal detachment), the authors succeeded in treating the posterior segment trauma with adequate hemostasis in ten cases. During postoperative follow-up of between 12 and 39 months there were no recurrences of hemorrhage. Primary retinal reattachment was achieved in seven eyes. A traction detachment due to proliferative vitreoretinopathy developed in three eyes at a relatively late stage (6-19 months postoperatively): reoperation was successful in two cases. With regard to functional results, six eyes had a visual acuity of between 1/25 and 0.6, and in four it was in the range between perception of light projection and hand movements. There were three cases with keratopathy encouraged by aniridia or hypotonia. One eye with emulsification of the silicone oil developed a secondary glaucoma which responded to topical treatment. In three cases the silicone oil was removed without complications. In one eye there was an expulsive choroidal hemorrhage which could not be managed intraoperatively and which led to phthisis and amaurosis postoperatively.

Fluorescein angiographic findings in patients with proliferative vitreoretinopathy treated by victrectomy, silicone oil tamponade and intraocular daunomycin are compared to findings in patients who received the same treatment but no intraocular drug. A difference between drug treated and untreated eyes was not discovered. We observed, however, a delayed arteriovenous passage time, cystoid macular edema, ectopia of the foveolar region and late hyperfluorescence of the optic disk; these findings might partly explain the visual results. Reduction of redetachment and thus prevention of reoperations by treatment with antiproliferative drugs may decrease the rate of cystoid macular edema and thus improve the functional results of surgical treatment.

Out of 196 aphakic and 4 phakic eyes with silicone oil in the anterior chamber (all vitrectomized, postoperative follow-up 6 months to 5 years) we found 83 eyes (42%) with keratopathy. They present clinically and histologically as calcific band keratopathy (55 eyes) or diffuse bullous corneal edema (28 eyes). Time of onset, course and frequency in correlation to preoperative diagnosis are analyzed. Pathogenesis, prevention and therapy of keratopathy are discussed.

A retrospective study is reported on 106 eyes with proliferative diabetic retinopathy, treated by vitrectomy and silicone oil injection. Indications were traction detachment in 91 eyes and nonclearing rebleeding in 15 eyes; 31 eyes had previously had vitrectomy. Anatomical success was obtained at the end surgery in 91 eyes, and after a minimum follow-up of 6 months in 68 eyes (64%). Functional results were as follows: satisfactory visual acuity (0.5-0.05) in 23 eyes (22%), ambulatory vision (0.03-CF) in 14 eyes (13%), HM-LP in 54 eyes (51%), and NLP in 15 eyes (14%). The functional results are limited by recurrent detachments due to characteristic reproliferations under the silicone bubble or by ischemic diabetic angiopathy in the attached retina. A positive effect of silicone oil is demonstrated in the reduction of preexisting or postoperatively new iris neovascularization and in preventing postoperative rebleeding.