Vitrectomy for persistent panuveitis in Behçet's disease.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether vitrectomy is safe and effective for the management of vitreoretinal complications in Behçet's patients with persistent panuveitis.


METHODS
Patients who had undergone therapeutic vitrectomy for Behçet's panuveitis were reviewed retrospectively. Those patients who had shown persistent uveitis despite maximum medical therapy were included. Surgical outcomes were measured by an improvement in vision of 0.3 logarithm of minimum angle of resolution, acute relapse rates, and postoperative complications.


RESULTS
Twenty-one patients with a mean postoperative follow-up of 30 months were identified. For almost all patients visual acuity and inflammatory control were significantly improved after vitrectomy. However, patients with optic disc neovascularization (NVD) showed no improvement in their vision or inflammatory control. The postoperative rise of intraocular pressure was frequently associated with intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide injections.


CONCLUSIONS
Our study suggests that vitrectomy may be both safe and effective for the management of vitreoretinal complications in Behçet's patients with persistent uveitis. Patients with NVD, however, may have poor outcomes.
Ahn
Jae Kyoun
JK
Department of Ophthalmology, Seoul National University of College Medicine, and Seoul National University Hospital, Clinical Research Institute, Seoul Artificial Eye Center, Seoul, Korea.
Chung
Hum
H
Yu
Hyeong Gon
HG
D000328:Adult; D001528:Behcet Syndrome / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015864:Panuveitis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014792:Visual Acuity; D014821:Vitrectomy