Abstract
Purpose: :
To report a case of striking retinal neovascularization secondary to a chronic rhegmatogenous retinal detachment in an adolescent with a history of retinopathy of prematurity.
Methods: :
Case report including fundus photography and fluorescein angiography. Undiluted vitreous was obtained at the time of surgical repair of the retinal detachment. An analysis of vitreous concentrations of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and erythropoietin by enzyme linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) will be presented and compared with newly developed normal controls.
Results: :
A 13 year old female was referred for evaluation of a retinal detachment in her right eye that had been discovered on a routine eye exam. The patient was born at 26 weeks of gestation and had a history of untreated mild retinopathy of prematurity. The visual acuity was 20/200 OD and 20/30 OS. The patient had a rhegmatogenous retinal detachment that extended from 1:30 through the 11 o’clock position involving the macula with retinal atrophy and other signs of chronicity. There was extensive retinal neovascularization at the inferior equator as demonstrated by fluorescein angiography. The vitreous concentrations of VEGF and erythropoietin at the time of retinal reattachment surgery are being measured by ELISAs.
Conclusions: :
Patients with a history of retinopathy of prematurity may develop retinal neovascularization from a late–onset, chronic retinal detachment. The neovascularization presumably develops as a result of retinal ischemia, and thus VEGF and erythropoietin may be involved in the pathogenesis of the neovascularization.
Keywords: neovascularization • retinal detachment • retinopathy of prematurity