Use of an oil-hydraulic microinjection pump for subretinal infusions.
The injection of cell suspensions or drugs into the subretinal space is a new promising option of vitreoretinal surgery for the treatment of degenerative retinal disorders. We used a manual oil-hydraulic microinjection pump to subretinally inject suspensions of retinal pigment epithelial cells in Royal College of Surgeons rats and in patients suffering from age-related macular degeneration with geographic atrophy. The histological examination of the treated rat eyes showed that cell suspensions could be placed precisely in the subretinal space. Intra- and postoperative outcome of the patients in the clinical trial revealed no retinal complications during 6 months of follow up. We suggest the oil-hydraulic microinjection pump to be a valuable instrument for controlled and precisely dosed atraumatic infusion or aspiration of small volumes of cell suspensions, fluids or drugs in vitreoretinal surgery.
Department of Ophthalmology, University of Hamburg, Germany.
Judith
J
Weichel
Monika
M
Valtink
Katrin
K
Engelmann
Gisbert
G
Richard
D000818:Animals; D017690:Cell Transplantation / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004867:Equipment Design; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D006801:Humans; D007260:Infusion Pumps; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000601:surgery*; D008845:Microinjections / Q000295:instrumentation*; D010857:Pigment Epithelium of Eye / Q000166:cytology*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012160:Retina / Q000601:surgery*; D012449:Safety