Abstract
Purpose :
Silicone oil (SO) is an intraocular surgical adjuvant that reduces the surgical complications in refractory retinal diseases, although membrane and cellular proliferation is often seen even in SO-filled eyes. We hypothesized that the fluid in the space between the SO and the retina, named the “sub-silicone oil fluid (SOF),” enhances these biological responses. We recently examined the levels of inflammatory cytokines in the SOF from the eyes with proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) and proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR), and showed that disease-specific cytokine profile in SOF is a significant reflection of disease status. In this study, we further examined the relationship of the retinal thickness and cytokine levels in PVR and PDR.
Methods :
SOF was collected from 19 eyes with either PDR or PVR. FGF-2, IFN-γ, IL-10, IL-12p40, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, MCP-1, TNFα and VEGF were measured. Retinal thickness (average retinal thickness within 1,000 μm diameters centered from the fovea) was measured one month after the first vitrectomy surgery and just before the SO evacuation surgery. The relationship between the changes of the retinal thickness and cytokine levels in SOF was analyzed.
Results :
The average change of the retinal thickness in eyes with PDR was +84.3 ± 109.1 μm (n=12), whereas that with PVR was −44.1 ± 46.6 μm (n=7). There was significant difference in the change of the retinal thickness between PDR and PVR (P<0.01). The change in the retinal thickness in PDR was negatively correlated with VEGF in SOF (P=0.01, β=−0.68). in eyes with PVR, the change in the retinal thickness was positively correlated with VEGF in SOF (P=0.003, β=0.91). In addition, the change in the retinal thickness was positively correlated with the days of SO tamponade (P=0.036, β=0.79).
Conclusions :
Contrary to our primary expectation, the retinal thickness in PDR eyes with higher expression of VEGF in SOF was reduced during SO endotamponade. Further investigation with larger number of samples is required to elucidate this unexpected change.
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2018 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Honolulu, Hawaii, April 29 - May 3, 2018.