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.
Weichel
Judith
J
Department of Ophthalmology, University of Hamburg, Germany.
Valtink
Monika
M
Engelmann
Katrin
K
Richard
Gisbert
G
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