Oxytalan fibres in proliferative vitreoretinopathy

The distribution of elastic and related fibres was studied in 29 fibrocellular membranes associated with proliferative vitreoretinopathy using histochemical, immunohistochemical and ultrastructural techniques. Ten subretinal and ten epiretinal membranes were subjected to light microscopical investigation, whilst the remaining nine membranes were examined by transmission electron microscopy. Oxytalan fibres, an elastic fibre precursor that is found in a variety of normal and pathological connective-tissue matrices, were identified in all of the specimens. Mature elastic fibres were not observed in any of the 29 membranes. The demonstration that oxytalan connective-tissue fibres contribute to the infrastructure of PVR membranes adds further evidence to the suggestion that this proliferative tissue might be the result of a repair mechanism.