Surgical treatments for fibrous tissue extending to the posterior retina in eyes with familial exudative vitreoretinopathy.

PURPOSE: To describe the clinical features and surgical outcomes of macular dragging or tractional retinal detachment that occurred as a result of fibrovascular tissue (FT) progression toward the posterior retina in eyes with familial exudative vitreoretinopathy (FEVR).

METHODS

The medical records of 4 patients (2 girls, 2 boys) with FEVR were reviewed retrospectively.

RESULTS

All 4 patients had retinal dragging or radial retinal folds with FT in the peripheral retina in at least 1 eye at the initial visit. During the follow-up period, all the patients had FT that progressed toward the posterior pole and developed from the peripheral FT, resulting in macular dragging or posterior tractional retinal detachment. Vitrectomy with or without scleral buckling and laser photocoagulation were performed in all 4 cases, with removal of the FT in the posterior pole and segmentation of the FT between the posterior and peripheral FT. The traction resolved postoperatively and the retina extended in all 4 cases.

CONCLUSIONS

In 4 cases with FEVR, the FT developed from the peripheral FT, progressed toward the posterior retina, and generated traction. Vitrectomy with focal removal and segmentation of the FT in the posterior pole might be a good surgical option in such eyes.