Rheohaemapheresis in the treatment of nonvascular age-related macular degeneration.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the experience with rheohaemapheresis (RH) in the treatment of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).


METHODS
Thirty-eight patients were each treated with 8 procedures of RH (14 males, 24 females). The control group consisted of 34 random patients (30 females, 4 males) with the dry form of AMD but not treated by RH. Our modification of the cascade method (named rheohaemapheresis) was used for plasma separation. After plasma separation (blood cell separator, Cobe Spectra, Denver, CO, USA), the separated plasma was pumped through a rheofilter (Evaflux 4A, Kuraray, Osaka, Japan) to remove lipoproteins and other high-molecular-weight rheologic factors.


RESULTS
In treated patients, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) increased significantly from 0.61 (0.06-1.00) to 0.68 (0.35-1.00) after 2.5 years (p = 0.035). We found no significant changes or differences in scotopic activity, whereas cone response and paramacular activity in the more peripheral region between 14° and 22° of eccentricity were significantly higher in treated patients after 2.5 years.


CONCLUSIONS
RH therapy favourably influenced BCVA. During 2.5 years after the therapy, no progression of dry to wet AMD was observed in our patients. RH reduced the area of drusenoid retinal pigment epithelium detachment (which increased during the natural course of dry form AMD). RH influenced rheological markers and probably improved metabolism in the affected retinal areas which lead to the aforementioned positive results.
2nd Department of Internal Medicine, Separator Center, Charles University, Medical Faculty and Teaching Hospital, 50009 Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic. blaham@email.cz
M
M
Blaha
E
E
Rencova
H
H
Langrova
J
J
Studnicka
V
V
Blaha
P
P
Rozsival
M
M
Lanska
L
L
Sobotka
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001781:Blood Component Removal / Q000379:methods*; D001809:Blood Viscosity; D018153:Czech Republic; D018450:Disease Progression; D004596:Electroretinography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008074:Lipoproteins / Q000097:blood; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D055254:Night Vision; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012212:Rheology; D013997:Time Factors; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014792:Visual Acuity
D015415:Biomarkers; D008074:Lipoproteins