CLINICAL EFFICACY OF HEMORHEOLOGICAL TREATMENT USING PLASMA-EXCHANGE,SELECTIVE ADSORPTION AND MEMBRANE DIFFERENTIAL FILTRATION IN MACULOPATHY, RETINAL VEIN OCCLUSION AND UVEAL EFFUSION SYNDROME
R. Brunner et al., CLINICAL EFFICACY OF HEMORHEOLOGICAL TREATMENT USING PLASMA-EXCHANGE,SELECTIVE ADSORPTION AND MEMBRANE DIFFERENTIAL FILTRATION IN MACULOPATHY, RETINAL VEIN OCCLUSION AND UVEAL EFFUSION SYNDROME, Transfusion science, 17(4), 1996, pp. 493-498
The aim of the study was to test the clinical efficacy of haemorheolog
ical treatment with extracorporeal techniques in ocular diseases. We t
reated patients suffering from maculopathies of different origin: age-
related (AMD, n = 17), uveitis-associated (n = 14) and myopia-associat
ed maculopathy (n = 5). We also treated patients with uveal effusion s
yndrome (n = 3) and central retinal vein occlusion (n = 4) resistant t
o haemodilution or steroid therapy. The treatment consisted of plasma
exchange, selective adsorption with a tryptophan-polyvinylalcohol adso
rber and membrane differential filtration. Maculopathy patients underw
ent two treatments while the other patients received between 1 and 7 t
reatments. Pulsatile ocular blood flow was measured in 10 patients fro
m central retinal vein occlusion and uveal effusion syndrome was prove
n, even when the patients were resistant to previous haemodilution or
steroid therapy. We conclude that a theological approach should be con
sidered before invasive methods such as laser coagulation, radiation t
herapy or surgery are applied. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.