Visual and anatomical outcomes with vitrectomy in posterior or combined persistent fetal vasculature in an Asian population

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To investigate clinical features and surgical outcomes of vitrectomy in posterior or combined persistent fetal vasculature (PFV) in an Asian pediatric population. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This study was a retrospective, noncomparative, interventional case series relating the surgical outcome of PFV. Eyes that underwent pars plicata vitrectomy and/or lensectomy for posterior or combined PFV between 2006 and 2015 were included. The main outcome measures were the anatomic and functional results as well as the complications after the vitrectomy with or without lensectomy. RESULTS: A total of 25 eyes of 18 patients younger than 8 years of age were included in the study. The mean age of the patients receiving first pars plicata vitrectomy and/or lensectomy was 15.2 months ± 21.7 months (range: 1 month to 83 months). Post-operatively, successful anatomic correction in the posterior segment was observed in 20 eyes (80%). In addition, 19 of the 25 eyes (76%) had visual acuity (VA) better than 20/4000, and the mean logMAR VA of these 19 eyes was 1.74 (range: 0.48 to 2.30). The mean change of axial length of the eyes receiving surgery was 0.7 mm ± 1.4 mm (range: –1.0 mm to 2.4 mm; P = .18). None of the patients ended up with phthisis or glaucoma. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that vitrectomy and/or lensectomy in patients with posterior or combined PFV with macular involvement may result in an acceptable anatomical outcome; however, the functional outcome remained poor despite surgical intervention in these patients.