Abstract
Purpose: :
Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has been reported to play important role in the onset of neovascularization and macular edema in branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO). To evaluate the relation between VEGF and the clinical conditions of BRVO, we measured the VEGF concentrations in the aqueous humor and compared the correlations with the visual acuity (VA) (logMAR) and the retinal thickness in patients with BRVO.
Methods: :
Aqueous humor specimens were collected from 15 eyes of 15 patients with BRVO and from 13 eyes of 13 control patients with cataract. The concentrations of VEGF were measured by ELISA. The correlations between VEGF and the VA or retinal thickness in patients with BRVO were evaluated.
Results: :
The aqueous humor VEGF concentration in eyes with BRVO ranged from 95 to 1,220 pg/ml (mean, 322 pg/ml), while the VEGF concentrations ranged from 76 to 218 pg/ml (mean, 138 pg/ml) in eyes with cataract. The mean VEGF concentration was significantly higher in the patients with BRVO than in the controls (P<0.01, Mann-Whitney rank sum test). Although no correlation existed between the VEGF concentration in the aqueous humor and the logMAR VA (P=0.596, Spearman rank order correlation), a positive correlation was found between the VEGF concentration and the retinal thickness (P<0.05, Spearman rank order correlation).
Conclusions: :
VEGF seems to play a key role in the development of macular edema in BRVO.
Keywords: vascular endothelial growth factor • vascular occlusion/vascular occlusive disease • aqueous