Effect of epsilon-aminocaproic acid on postvitrectomy hemorrhage
S. de Bustros, B. M. Glaser, R. G. Michels and C. Auer
We performed a prospective study involving 96 patients undergoing
vitrectomy for proliferative diabetic retinopathy to determine the effect
of epsilon-aminocaproic acid on the occurrence of postoperative intraocular
hemorrhage. epsilon-Aminocaproic acid significantly reduced postoperative
vitreous hemorrhage during the immediate postoperative period. Follow-up
examinations two to six weeks after discharge from the hospital disclosed
no statistically significant difference in the severity of vitreous
hemorrhage between the treated and untreated groups. The loss of drug
effect at this stage was in part due to spontaneous repeated bleeding in
the treated group and in part to spontaneous clearing of hemorrhage in the
untreated group. There was no statistically significant difference in the
rate of repeated bleeding between the two groups or in rate of spontaneous
clearing.
