CLINICAL EFFICACY OF HEMORHEOLOGICAL TREATMENT USING PLASMA-EXCHANGE,SELECTIVE ADSORPTION AND MEMBRANE DIFFERENTIAL FILTRATION IN MACULOPATHY, RETINAL VEIN OCCLUSION AND UVEAL EFFUSION SYNDROME

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.