title: [Treatment of age-related macular degeneration by surgical removal of subfoveal neovascular membrane with vitrectomy].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the therapeutic effect of surgical removal of subfoveal neovascular membrane with vitrectomy in treatment of age-related macular degeneration.
  
  
  METHODS
  30 patients (30 eyes) with the macular degeneration were selected. The duration of the disease was limited less than 2 years and the size of the neovascular membrane was limited to <or= 3 disc diameters. The neovascular membrane was removed through the retinotomy superiotemporal to the macula after closed vitrectomy. The vitreous cavity was replaced by 30% SF(6) after gas/fluid exchange and the patients took prone position postoperatively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The visual acuity was improved in 17 (56.7%, the best one 20/60), unchanged in 8 (26.7%) and decreased in 5 (16.7%) of the 30 eyes after operation. The post-operative complications were as follows: retinal detachment in 1 eye, centripetal retinal pucker to the retinotomy in 3 eyes and recurrence of neovascular membrane in 3 eyes. Transmission electron microscopy showed that the specimens were mainly composed of neo-capillary vessels.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Certain therapeutic effects can be seen after the operation. However, the improvement of visual acuity in most of the cases is not very significant.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, General Hospital of PLA, Beijing 100853.
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: P C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Ho
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008266:Macula Lutea / Q000601:surgery*; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000601:surgery*; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D012160:Retina / Q000601:surgery*; D014821:Vitrectomy