[ review article of pharmacologic vitreolysis]

The vitreoretinal interface is involved in a wide range of vitreoretinal disorders and separation of the posterior vitreous face from the retinal surface is an essential part of vitrectomy surgeries. A diverse range of enzymatic and non-enzymatic agents are being studied as an adjunct before or during vitrectomy to facilitate the induction of posterior vitreous detachment. There is a significant body of knowledge in the literature about different vitreolytic agents under investigation for a variety of pathologies involving the vitreoretinal interface which will be summarized in this review. Articles retrieved by Pubmed search using keywords "Vitreolysis", pharmacologic Vitreolysis, plasmin and vitrectomy, and microplasmin and vitrectomy, were used in this review. recent reports have raised strong hopes that pharmacologic vitreolysis may eventually find its way to clinical practice. Further investigations will demonstrate whether enzymatic vitreolysis could be used as an adjunct and/or alternative treatment for treatment of vitreoretinal disorders

[Vitrectomy for complications of branch retinal vein occlusion]

To evaluate the outcomes of vitrectomy for complications of branch retinal vein occlusion [BRVO]. This retrospective study, included patients who underwent vitrectomy surgery due to the complications of BRVO over an 11-year period. Visual acuity and retinal condition were evaluated before and after surgery. The study included 30 eyes of 30 patients with mean age of 64.7 +/- 10.92 [range 41-85] years. Vitrectomy was performed for vitreous hemorrhage in 23 eyes [76.6%], for tractional macular detachment in 5 eyes [16.6%] and for combined tractional macular detachment and vitreous hemorrhage in 2 eyes [6.6%].The patients were followed for a mean of 15.43 +/- 12.5 months [range 6-60 months]. Visual acuity improved from 2.6 +/- 0.66 to 0.92 +/- 0.75 LogMAR after operation [P<0.001]. Visual improvement was significant in vitreous hemorrhage group [P<0.001], however, it was not significant in the other two groups [both Ps= 0.1]. Visual acuity remained unchanged in 2 patients and decreased in two other patients. The most common cause of vitrectomy for complications of BRVO was vitreous hemorrhage. Patients with tractional macular detachment with or without vitreous hemorrhage had less improvement in visual acuity in comparison to patients with vitreous hemorrhage alone