Tissue plasminogen activator-assisted vitrectomy for submacular hemorrhage due to age-related macular degeneration

Outcomes in the Treatment of Subretinal Macular Hemorrhage Secondary to Age-Related Macular Degeneration: A Systematic Review

Background: Subretinal macular hemorrhage (SRMH) secondary to age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a relatively rare condition in ophthalmology characterized by blood collection between the neurosensory retina and the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). Without prompt treatment, visual prognosis is poor. A plethora of treatment approaches have been tried over the past years ranging from intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) monotherapy to direct subretinal surgery, with no conclusive superiority of one over the other. Materials and Methods: We conducted a systematic review of the outcomes and treatment modalities of SRMH from inception to 14 June 2022, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines (PRISMA). The level of evidence was assessed for all included articles according to the quality of evidence according to the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) system. Results: A total of 2745 articles were initially extracted, out of which 1654 articles were obtained after duplicates were removed and their abstracts screened. A total of 155 articles were included for full-text review. Finally, 81 articles remained that fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Conclusions: Even though there are solid results supporting a variety of treatments for SRMH, the best treatment modality has still not been conclusively demonstrated and further research is needed.

Early surgical displacement of submacular hemorrhage without tissue plasminogen activator use: one-year outcomes

OBJECTIVE

This study evaluated changes in best-corrected visual acuity and submacular hemorrhage (SMH) resolution in eyes after a single rapid subretinal displacement surgery using subretinal balanced saline solution and sterile air without tissue plasminogen activator (tPA).

DESIGN

A retrospective comparative interventional analysis.

PARTICIPANTS

Twenty-six eyes with thick SMH who underwent pars plana vitrectomy and subretinal fluid displacement without tPA from 2015 and 2021 and at least 1-year of follow-up.

METHODS

Surgical intervention included a standard small-gauge pars plana vitrectomy with subretinal displacement using balanced saline solution with subretinal sterile air and partial gas-air fluid exchange. Main outcome measures included degree of subfoveal SMH displacement, best and final postoperative visual acuities, and adverse events. Snellen acuity was converted to logMARs for statistical analysis.

RESULTS

The most common etiology associated with thick SMH (92.3%) was neovascular age-related macular degeneration. Within 1 month postoperatively, 21 patients (80.8%) saw complete subfoveal blood displacement. Most of the SMH surgical displacements were done within 1 week of presenting symptoms. Average preoperative duration of SMH was 3.60 ± 2.78 days (range, 1-12 days). Mean logMAR best-corrected visual acuity improved from 1.63 ± 0.58 (Snellen 20/800 baseline) to 0.90 ± 0.42 letters (Snellen 20/160) at last follow-up (p = 0.001). This study's visual acuity improvement is comparable with that of prior studies using tPA. Early postoperative complications included 1 retinal detachment, 1 vitreous hemorrhage, and 1 macular hole.

CONCLUSION

Rapid surgery with subretinal balanced saline solution-sterile air injection without tPA was found to be effective for displacement of thick SMH with retinal function, visual acuity, and corneal refractive therapy improvement.

Visual acuity outcome in patients with subretinal hemorrhage - office procedure vs. surgical treatment

PURPOSE

To evaluate the effects of intravitreal injection of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) and gas vs. pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) surgery as first-line treatment for subretinal hemorrhage.

METHODS

Retrospective study of 107 adults treated for subretinal hemorrhage at a tertiary hospital during 2008-2019; 51 received injection of tPA and gas and 56 underwent PPV.

RESULTS

No between-group differences were found in age and sex, medical history, use of anticoagulants or antiplatelets, history of ocular surgeries, and previous use of intravitreal anti-VEGF. Overall follow-up time was longer in the PPV group (median 4.9 vs 3.28 years, p = 0.005). The hemorrhage was displaced in a similar percentage of patients in the tPA-and-gas group (n = 40, 78.4%) and the PPV group (n = 45, 80.4%) (p = 0.816). Approximately 80% of patients in the tPA-and-gas group were able to forgo PPV surgery. Visual acuity (in LogMAR) was similar in the two groups prior to the diagnosis of subretinal hemorrhage but better in the tPA-and-gas group at the end of follow-up (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Injection of gas and tPA can be done immediately following diagnosis of subretinal hemorrhage as an office procedure. Visual acuity outcome is good, with a high rate of blood displacement. About 20% of patients might require additional PPV as secondary intervention.

Intravitreal recombinant tPA before vitrectomy for diabetic tractional retinal detachment: A randomized controlled trial

PURPOSE

To investigate the effect of intravitreal recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) injection before vitrectomy on surgical facility and outcome in diabetic tractional retinal detachments (TRD).

METHODS

Prospective, randomized, interventional clinical trial. A total of 38 eyes with diabetic TRD were candidates for vitrectomy. Patients were randomized 1:1 to receive intravitreal rt-PA, five to seven days before vitrectomy or no injection. Intraoperative surgical facility and anatomic success at month 3 after surgery were assessed.

RESULTS

Mean patient age was 54.2 ± 9.4 years. There was no statistically significant difference between rt-PA and no injection groups with regard to anatomic success (89% versus 95%, respectively, P = 0.547) and best corrected visual acuity at 3 months (2.0 versus 2.1 logMAR, respectively, P = 0.840). However, surgical facility score was statistically significantly lower in rt-PA injection group compared to no injection group (4.1 ± 1.7, 5.8 ± 2.0, respectively, P = 0.007).

CONCLUSIONS

Vitrectomy for TRD was easier after preoperative rt-PA injection, without affecting the anatomic and visual outcomes.

Treatment of submacular hemorrhage with tissue plasminogen activator and pneumatic displacement in age-related macular degeneration

PURPOSE

To evaluate visual and anatomic outcomes following pars plana vitrectomy and intravitreal or subretinal tissue plasminogen activator for submacular hemorrhage in patients with age-related macular degeneration.

METHODS

This was a retrospective study on patients with a minimum follow-up of 12 months undertaken at a tertiary referral center. Data collected include demographic details, visual and optical coherence tomography changes, surgical details, and complications. Surgical results were compared with patients who were age and lesion size matched and treated with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor injections alone.

RESULTS

There were 36 patients in surgical and 18 patients in control group. Patients in surgical arm had pars plana vitrectomy, intravitreal tissue plasminogen activator with air 24 (67%), 6 (16%) with C3F8 gas, 1 (3%) with SF6 gas, 4 (11%) subretinal tissue plasminogen activator with air, and 1 (3%) with C2F6 as post-operative tamponade. Mean LogMAR in tissue plasminogen activator group at baseline was 1.56, and it was improved at all time points 1.06 at 1 month (p < 0.05), 0.91 at 6 months (p < 0.05), and 1.07 at 1 year (p < 0.05). Mean best corrected visual acuity in control group at baseline was 1.22LogMAR with no significant improvement at any time points: 1 month (1.27), 6 months (1.35), and 12 months (1.36). Complications included retinal detachment 5%, vitreous hemorrhage 7.5%, and cataract 19%.

CONCLUSION

Pars plana vitrectomy with intravitreal (or subretinal) tissue plasminogen activator and pneumatic displacement can offer better outcome in comparison to anti-vascular endothelial growth factor alone in patients with submacular hemorrhage secondary to age-related macular degeneration.

Gravitational displacement of submacular haemorrhage in patients with age-related macular disease

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the efficacy of gravitational displacement following vitrectomy for the patients with submacular haemorrhage (SMH) secondary to age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

METHODS

Retrospective, interventional series of nine consecutive AMD patients with SMH. All patients underwent pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) combined with subretinal tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) and intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) injection without any tamponade. The patients were positioned according to the location and distribution of SMH postoperatively in order to provide the maximum gravitational force effect to displace. Outcome measures were the change in visual acuity, the displacement in SMH, and the occurrence of per- and postoperative complications.

RESULTS

Complete displacement of haemorrhage occurred in all patients postoperatively. The mean preoperative and postoperative best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at the last visit were 2.46 and 1.7 logMAR, respectively, after a mean follow-up of 10.4 months (Range: 3-18 months) (p = 0.045). The mean duration of haemorrhage was 15.3 days (range: 3-40 days). The recurrence of SMH was observed in two (22%) patients and there were no other postoperative complications.

CONCLUSION

Gravitational displacement following PPV combined with subretinal t-PA and intravitreal anti-VEGF injection can be considered as an effective surgical intervention in selected AMD patients with SMH.

Submacular hemorrhage secondary to age-related macular degeneration managed with vitrectomy, subretinal injection of tissue plasminogen activator, hemorrhage displacement with liquid perfluorocarbon, gas tamponade, and face-down positioning

Purpose

To investigate the outcomes of vitrectomy, subretinal tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) injection, hemorrhage displacement with liquid perfluorocarbon, gas tamponade, and face-down positioning, in hemorrhagic neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) patients.

Methods

In this retrospective case series, we reviewed the records of patients who were diagnosed as having submacular hemorrhage (SMH) secondary to neovascular AMD between January and June 2016. The main outcome measure was the difference between preoperative and postoperative best corrected visual acuity (BCVA).

Results

In 9 eyes of 9 patients, mean preoperative and postoperative BCVA at the last follow-up were 1.65 and 1.49 LogMAR, respectively (p = 0.1), after a mean follow up time of 12.4 ± 1.0 months. The SMH was successfully displaced in 5 of the 9 patients (55.5%). Four out of 9 patients (44.4%) gained ≥3 lines. The duration of SMH was 3.6 ± 2.1 days (range 1-7) in the successfully displacement group, and was 10.0 ± 1.8 days (range 8-12) in the group in which was SMH could not be displaced (p = 0.002). The mean SMH area was smaller in the successfully displacement group than the group in which was SMH could not be displaced (p = 0.04).

Conclusion

Vitrectomy, subretinal tPA injection, hemorrhage displacement with liquid perfluorocarbon, gas tamponade and face-down positioning was associated with improved visual outcomes in patients with hemorrhagic neovascular AMD. The duration and area of the SMH seemed to be related to the success of displacement.