The Effect of the Prophylactic Cryopexy in the Experimental Penetrating Ocular Injury with Retinal Laceration

Lee, Sang Beom; Hahn, Duk Kee

Abstract

Retinal detachment was studied in a rabbit model of penetrating ocular injuries with retinal laceration. In experimental group, to study its effect on the prevention of retinal detachment, cryopexy was performed at the site of penetrating ocular injury. No retinal detachment was found when the injury was made in 3 mm radial incision from corneoscleral limbus. When the injury was extended to the equator of the globe, namely 6 mm radial incision from corneoscleral limbus, the incidence of retinal detachment was 35%. But when the incision was made circumferentially 6 mm through the retina near ora serrata ie, 3 mm from the limbus, the incidence was 65%. The higher incidence of retinal detachment following injuries located at the ora serrata is probably due to the involvement of the vitreous base. However, there was no significant difference in the incidence of retinal detachment between control and experimental groups. And the cryotherapy can release viable retinal pigment epithelial cells into the vitreous cavity which can cause proliferative vitreoretinopathy. Therefore, the cryotherapy should be limited in posterior penetraring ocular injuries. The histopathologic examination of proliferative vitreoretinopathy in rabbit eyes with posterior penetrating ocular injuries revealed Muller cells, fibroblast and retinal pigment epithelial cells as main cellular components. Through this experiment, cryopexy was proved to be little effect in prevention of retinal detachment in rabbit eyes with perforating eye injuries.