Korean J Ophthalmol.  2012 Apr;26(2):135-138. 10.3341/kjo.2012.26.2.135.

A Developmental Mechanism of Spontaneous Reattachment in Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Ophthalmology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. swkang@skku.edu

Abstract

This retrospective observational case series on eyes from three patients was done to elucidate the developmental mechanism of spontaneous reattachment of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (SRRRD). The study eyes of each patients showed evidence of retinal break and diffuse retinal pigmentary change. Ultrasound biomicroscopic examination revealed vitreous fibers attached to the area around the retinal break. Posterior vitreous attachment was confirmed in each eye. A thin fibrovascular membrane incompletely sealing the retinal break was noted in one case. We suggest that the vitreous attachment around the retinal break and the sealing of the break with adjacent vitreous fibers seem to be involved in the developmental mechanism of SRRRD.

Keyword

Reattachment; Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment; Vitreous detachment

MeSH Terms

Adult
Atrophy
Disease Progression
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Remission, Spontaneous
Retina/*abnormalities/pathology/*physiopathology
Retinal Detachment/*etiology/pathology/*physiopathology
Retinal Pigment Epithelium/abnormalities/pathology/physiopathology
Retrospective Studies
Vitreous Body/abnormalities/pathology/physiopathology
Young Adult

Figure

  • Fig. 1 Left eye in patient 1. (A) Fundus photograph at presentation: pigmentary clumping and atrophy at the attached retina (solid white arrow heads) posterior to the area of retinal detachment (empty arrow heads) with a retinal hole (black arrow). (B,C) Ultrasound biomicroscopic examination disclosed vitreous fibers (white arrows) both anterior and posterior to the retinal hole.

  • Fig. 2 Right eye in patient 2. (A) Notice the retinal pigmentary alteration and retinal hole (black arrow) at the 5-o'clock position. (B,C) Optical coherence tomographic examination revealed development of posterior vitreous detachment on the temporal side of the fovea only.

  • Fig. 3 Right eye in patient 3. (A) Fundus photograph at presentation shows extensive retinal pigmentary clumping, atrophy, and a 2 disc-diameter horseshoe retinal tear at the 8-o'clock position. The magnified image reveals thin fibrovascular membrane (black arrow) connecting the anterior and posterior margins of the retinal tear. (B,C) Ultrasound biomicroscopic imaging showed vitreous fibers (white arrows) and membranous structure sealing the retinal tear (white arrow head).


Cited by  1 articles

Two Cases of Acute Spontaneous Resolution in Macula-Off Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment
Jung Yul Park, Min Kyu Shin, Sung Who Park, Ik Soo Byon, Ji Eun Lee
J Korean Ophthalmol Soc. 2015;56(3):466-470.    doi: 10.3341/jkos.2015.56.3.466.


Reference

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2. De Juan E Jr, Machemer R. Spontaneous reattachment of the retina despite proliferative vitreoretinopathy. Am J Ophthalmol. 1984. 97:428–433.
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4. Cho HY, Chung SE, Kim JI, et al. Spontaneous reattachment of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment. Ophthalmology. 2007. 114:581–586.
5. Gonzales CR, Gupta A, Schwartz SD, Kreiger AE. The fellow eye of patients with phakic rhegmatogenous retinal detachment from atrophic holes of lattice degeneration without posterior vitreous detachment. Br J Ophthalmol. 2004. 88:1400–1402.
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