[Surgical procedures in the treatment of age-related macular degeneration]

The surgical techniques for removal of a subretinal membrane associated with age-related macular degeneration will be discussed and compared on the basis of published data. The so-called simple subretinal membrane extraction will be compared with pigment epithelium cell transplantation and with the various techniques for macular translocation. The pars plana gas injection with tissue plasminogen activator procedure will also be mentioned. Because a controlled trial with a sufficient number of patients and follow-up has not been carried out for any of these techniques, the results of published case series will be used for this review.