Closed vitreous surgery: XV. Fibrovascular ingrowth from the pars plana sclerotomy
Y. M. Tardif and C. L. Schepens
Ten eyes developed fibrovascular ingrowth from the sclerotomy following
closed vitreous surgery. The complication was detected by examining all
patients postoperatively by indirect ophthalmoscopy and biomicroscopy with
a three-mirror lens. The average follow-up was 13.2 months. Nine patients
had proliferative retinal disease prior to surgery and related systemic
disease. In six eyes, useful vision was lost due to the ingrowth. In three
eyes, a stabilization occurred. In one eye, that of a 12-year-old girl with
an undefined syndrome of cochlear and retinal neovascularization, the
ingrowth involuted. Rubeosis iridis was observed in 6 eyes that developed
vascular ingrowth as opposed to 11 eyes in a control group of 78 eyes. Eyes
with rubeosis iridis should not have vitreous surgery, and careful
dissection of the Tenon capsule should be done over the sclerotomy.
