Pneumatic displacement with intravitreal tPA injection versus vitrectomy with sub retinal tPA injection in small and medium sub macular hemorrhages- a multicenter comparative study

Abstract

Purpose: Comparing between the visual outcomes and post operative complications of two surgical treatments for sub macular hemorrhage, pars plana vitrectomy with tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) injection procedure, and pneumatic displacement of submacular hemorrhage with intravitreal tPA injection. Methods: A retrospective chart review of patients with sub macular hemorrhage (SMH) was performed. Data was collected from 150 patients with sub macular hemorrhage. Patients were followed up from the day of admission and up to a year post surgery. Evaluation included visual acuity, optical coherence tomography (OCT), fundus examination and rates of complications. Results: Pars plana vitrectomy procedure has showed a better visual outcome in small SMH. Comparing complications between the two treatment modalities, no significant difference has been found in the study. Conclusions: Pars plana vitrectomy and tPA showed a clear advantage with a trend of better visual acuity as well as a significant predictor to better visual acuity for small and medium sub macular hemorrhage.