Retinal detachment: visual acuity and subretinal immunoreactive endothelin-1.
OBJECTIVE
To analyze whether subretinal (SRF) endothelin-1 (ET-1) - a vasoactive, mitogenic, and pro-apoptotic peptide - levels are related to visual acuity (VA) in rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RD).


METHODS
Sixty-six healthy patients between 42 and 70 years of age with unilateral RD, all candidates for scleral buckling surgery (PVR<C3) as a first and single surgical procedure, were prospectively selected. Using radioimmunoassay, immunoreactive ET-1 (IR-ET-1) was tested in both plasma and subretinal fluid (SRF) of these retinal detachment (RD) patients. Best-corrected Snellen VA was considered before surgery (preoperative) and 8 months after surgery (postoperative). Pearson correlations were made between IR-ET-1 levels (in plasma and SRF) and VA (preoperative, postoperative, and postoperative minus preoperative difference).


RESULTS
Mean IR-ET-1 values were plasma, 2.91+/-0.44 pg/ml, and SRF, 10.71+/-7.95 pg/ml. Mean VA values were preoperative VA, 0.31+/-0.16; postoperative VA, 0.66+/-0.29; and VA difference, 0.35+/-0.18. Plasma IR-ET-1 showed significant (p<0.0001) negative linear correlations with preoperative VA (r=-0.52), postoperative VA (r=-0.69), and VA difference (r=-0.65). SRF IR-ET-1 showed significant (p<0.0001) negative linear correlations with preoperative VA (r=-0.48), postoperative VA (r=-0.61), and VA difference (r=-0.54). When proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) was associated with RD, correlations between SRF IR ET-1 and postoperative VA (r=-0.70) and VA difference (r=-0.75) showed the highest negative values


CONCLUSIONS
Correlations between SRF IR-ET-1 and VA were negative and higher for postoperative VA and these correlations showed the highest values when RD was associated with PVR. These findings support the idea of doing primary vitrectomy and perhaps using coadjutant pharmacologic therapy in these cases.
Roldán-Pallarés
M
M
Department of Ophthalmology, Hospital Clinico San Carlos, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain. MRPUCMHS@telefonica.net
Sadiq-Musa
A
A
Rollin
R
R
Bravo-Llatas
C
C
Fernández-Cruz
A
A
Fernández-Durango
R
R
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D019332:Endothelin-1 / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012160:Retina / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D012163:Retinal Detachment / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D012591:Scleral Buckling / Q000379:methods; D014792:Visual Acuity; D018630:Vitreoretinopathy, Proliferative / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery
D019332:Endothelin-1