An Experimental Study of Development of Preretinal Membrane Following Intravitreal Hemorrhage

ABSTRACT

It has been known that proliferative vitreoretinopathy(PVR) can be developed by various intraocular diseases. Among them, the intravitreal hemorrhage would be accounted one of the causative disorders of PVR. An experimental study of the rabbit retina following intravitreal injection of auto blood was performed in order to investigate of development processes and nature of cellular alterations in PVR. The results were as follows 1. Macrophages containing several dense bodies appeared near the inner limiting membrane of the retina and many floating red blood cells were present in the vitreous cavity on 3 days after intravitreal injection of blood. 2. One week after intravitreal injection of blood, the Miiller cells extended to the vitreous penetrating the inner limiting membrane. Many macrophages were observed between the Miiller cell processes. 3. Preretinal proliferative tissue were differentiated to the multilayered Miiller cell processes with the cellular characteristics containing glycogen granules, SER and junctional complexes in 2 weeks after intravitreal injection of blood. In these states macrophages between the Miiller cell processes had were completely disappeared. 4. It was considered that Miiller cells extend to the vitreous penetrating the inner limiting membrane in order to phagocytose the red blood cells in the vitreous which lead to processes resulting in formation of PVR.