Posterior Vitreomacular Adhesion: A Potential Risk Factor for Exudative Age-related Macular Degeneration?

• Published in: American journal of ophthalmology Vol. 144; no. 5; pp. 741 - 746.e1
• Main Authors: Krebs, Ilse, Brannath, Werner, Glittenberg, Carl, Zeiler, Florian, Sebag, Jerry, Binder, Susanne
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 01.11.2007; Elsevier; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Adhesion; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Biological and medical sciences; Diabetes; Diabetic retinopathy; Exudates and Transudates; Eye Diseases - complications; Eye Diseases - diagnosis; Female; Humans; Macula Lutea - pathology; Macular degeneration; Macular Degeneration - diagnosis; Macular Degeneration - etiology; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Miscellaneous; Ophthalmology; Patients; Prevalence; Prospective Studies; Retinopathies; Risk Factors; Studies; Tissue Adhesions - complications; Tissue Adhesions - diagnosis; Tomography; Tomography, Optical Coherence; Ultrasonic imaging; Ultrasonography; Vitreous Body - diagnostic imaging; Vitreous Body - pathology; Vitreous Detachment - complications; Vitreous Detachment - diagnostic imaging; Macular degeneration; Eye disease; Retinopathy; Risk factor; Posterior; Age related macular degeneration; Ophthalmology; Adhesion
• ISSN: 0002-9394; 1879-1891
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ajo.2007.07.024

To compare the state of the posterior vitreous in exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD) with eyes with nonexudative AMD and controls. Prospective, observational case series. B-scan ultrasonography and optical coherence tomography (OCT) were performed in 163 eyes from 82 subjects older than 55 years, 50 eyes with exudative AMD, 57 with nonexudative AMD, and 56 control eyes. Main outcome measures were the number of eyes with complete posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) by ultrasound and the number of eyes with central vitreomacular adhesion by OCT. By ultrasonography, 17 (34.0%) of 50 eyes with exudative AMD had PVD as compared with 41 (71.9%) of 57 eyes with nonexudative AMD ( P = .00002) and 34 (60.7%) of 56 controls ( P = .017). OCT detected persistent central vitreoretinal adhesion surrounded by a detached posterior vitreous cortex in 18 (36%) of 50 eyes with exudative AMD, significantly higher than in nonexudative AMD (4/57 [7%]; P < .0001) and in controls (6/56 [10%]; P = .002). Persistent attachment of the posterior vitreous cortex to the macula may be another risk factor for the development of exudative AMD via vitreoretinal traction inducing chronic low-grade inflammation, by maintaining macular exposure to cytokines or free radicals in the vitreous gel, or by interfering in transvitreous oxygenation and nutrition of the macula. Inducing PVD may provide prophylactic benefit against exudative AMD.