Clinical Analysis of Intermediate Uveitis

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical characteristics, recurrence rate and visual prognosis of intermediate uveitis in terms of cryotherapy and pars plana vitrectomy. METHODS: Medical records of 124 eyes in 110 patients who were diagnosed to have intermediate uveitis from Jan. 1988 to Dec. 2000 were retrospectively reviewed. Clinical features, fluorescein angiographic findings in intermediate uveitis, and therapeutic results of vitrectomy and cryotherapy were analyzed. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 39.1 years and the mean follow-up period was 3.6 years (2 months ~ 11 years). Of those patients, 12.7% were bilateral and average recurrence rate was 2.9 per year. And 81.5% of the snowbank was located inferiorly. Fluorescein angiography (FAG) was done in 91 eyes. Cystoid macular edema (CME) was observed in 81.3% (74 eyes), focal leakage in 77.6% (69 eyes), and diffuse leakage in 22.5% (20 eyes). In 11 eyes which had undergone pars plana vitrectomy, the recurrence rate decreased from 2.2 a year to 0.6 a year. In 9 eyes which had undergone cryotherapy, it decreased from 3.6 a year to 0.7, which was statistically significant (p<0.05). The visual acuity improved in 34.7% (43 eyes), did not change in 44.4% (55 eyes), and worsened in 21.0% (26 eyes) at the final follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: This demonstrates the overall favorable visual prognosis in patients with intermediate uveitis. Pars plana vitrectomy and cryotherapy may contribute to reducing the recurrence rate of intermediate uveitis.