gms | German Medical Science

Background: Due to the immediate neighborhood of vitreous and retina, retinal diseases are frequently associated with changes of the vitreous.

Material and method: During the last years, the condition of the vitreous and a posterior vitreous adherence were diagnosed biomicroscopically, by ultrasound and by OCT. The findings were then compared with findings during vitrectomy.

Results: In almost all vitrectomies for macular and retinal diseases we found an attached posterior vitrous intraoperatively, which seemed especially adherent at the posterior pole. This correlated only partly with preoperative findings, where a posterior vitreous detachment was described frequently.

Conclusion: The literature describes a high percentage of complete posterior vitreous detachment in patients, increasing with age. In patients that undergo vitreoretinal surgery for macular or retinal diseases, an attached posterior vitreous is found frequently. We postulate, that this finding, which is untypical for that age group, may be a causative agent for retinal or vascular disease and prevents a successful treatment of AMD and other diseases because of macular traction. An early removal of the posterior vitreous may support treatment of these diseases.