Surgical decompression of branch retinal vein occlusions
M. D. Osterloh and S. Charles
University of Tennessee-Memphis.
Many patients with branch retinal vein occlusions can develop significant
long-term diminution of vision due to such complications as macular edema,
retinal neovascularization, and vitreous hemorrhage. One of us (S.C.)
developed a new surgical procedure that involves sectioning or
decompression of the common sheath connecting the artery and vein at the
crossing where a branch retinal vein occlusion occurs. The patient whose
case we report had a visual acuity improvement from 20/200-2 to 20/25+1
eight months after surgery.
