[Transconjunctival sutureless pars plana vitrectomy and Brilliant Peel (BP)-assisted ILM peeling in patients with macular holes]. / Transkonjunktivale nahtlose Pars-plana-Vitrektomie und Brilliant-Blau-G-assistiertes ILM-Peeling bei Patienten mit Makulaforamen.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the visual and anatomic outcome after 23-gauge transconjunctival sutureless pars plana vitrectomy and Brilliant Peel (BP)-assisted ILM peeling in patients with macular holes. METHODS: In a consecutive retrospective study in 41 eyes of 41 patients with macular holes a standardised 23-G transconjunctival sutureless pars plana vitrectomy with ILM-peeling and gas tamponade was performed. All patients underwent preoperative measurements of visual acuity (VA), the maximum hole diameter, basis, height, and intraretinal changes using high resolution optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT; Spectralis; Heidelberg Engineering). Main outcome measures included visual acuity 1, 3, and 6 months after surgery and the closure rate. We also evaluated photoreceptor inner/outer segment (IS/OS) integrity as seen in SD-OCT for correlation with visual outcomes after macular hole surgery. RESULTS: At baseline the mean best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 0.2 (0.77 logMAR). BCVA improved significantly to 0.4 (0.46 logMAR) after 1 month, to 0.44 (0.41 logMAR) after 3 months and to 0.58 (0.28 logMAR) after 6 months, respectively. A closure rate of 95.1 % was achieved. The morphological parameter photoreceptor IS/OS integrity was measured semiquantitatively and showed a positive correlation to BCVA. CONCLUSION: Transconjunctival sutureless pars plana vitrectomy and Brilliant Peel (BP)-assisted ILM peeling in patients with macular holes is a very safe procedure and leads to good functional and anatomic results. The integrity of the IS/OS segment is a good predictive parameter for BCVA improvement after macular hole surgery.

[Etiology of irreversible transplant opacity in the first year after perforating keratoplasty]. / Ursachen der irreversiblen Transplantateintrübung im ersten Jahr nach perforierender Keratoplastik.

PROBLEM: The reasons for corneal graft failure during the first postoperative year were examined. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The functional and morphological parameters were recorded prospectively on 210 eyes with penetrating keratoplasty postoperatively after 1, 4 and 12 months. CONCLUSIONS: 1 month postoperatively one graft, 4 months after surgery 5 grafts, and 12 months after keratoplasty 15 grafts had failed. The reasons were: 3 cases of irreversible rejection, 4 retrocorneal membranes, 4 persisting corneal erosions with ulceration, and 4 stromal infections (3 Herpes, 1 Akanthamoeba). During the first postoperative year, in our patients corneal graft rejection was a rare event accounting for 3 of 15 graft failures with an incidence of 1.4% in all grafts studied.