Pars Plana Vitrectomy in Pars Planitis and Posterior Uveitis

ABSTRACT

This study was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of pars plana vitrectomy in pars planitis and posterior uveitis. We performed pars plana vitrectomies in consecutive series of 31 eyes with pars planitis and posterior uveitis that were complicated with vitreous opacities, epiretinal membrane formation, tractional retinal detachment and posterior subcapsuIar cataract. Postoperatively improvement of visual acuity, 2 lines or more in Snellen chart, was noted in 19 eyes (61.2%) with a mean follow-up of 21 months. The inflammatory cells were not visible in anterior chamber or anterior vitreous after 1 month thereafter. In three patients, however, the postoperative visual acuities were worse due to preoperatively combined cystoid macular edema, macular pucker and tractional retinal detachment. We believe early pars plana vitrectomy before the formation of epiretinal membrane is an important factor in minimizing and postoperative complications.