Pneumatic displacement of submacular hemorrhage with or without tissue plasminogen activator

To assess the efficacy and complications of intravitreal injection of sulfur hexafluoride (SF(6)) gas with/without tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) for displacing submacular hemorrhage.

The medical records of 53 eyes that underwent pneumatic displacement for submacular hemorrhage were reviewed retrospectively. Submacular hemorrhage was related to exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in 39 eyes and ruptured retinal arterial macroaneurysms in 14 eyes, and treated with intravitreal injection of SF(6) gas with or without tPA.

Compared with preoperatively (mean follow-up, 18.4 months), the final visual acuity (VA) improved by 0.3 or more logMAR unit in 34 eyes (64.2%), stabilized within 0.3 logMAR in 15 eyes (28.3%), and deteriorated in four eyes (7.5%). In eyes with AMD, hemorrhage including vitreous hemorrhage recurred in eight (22.2%) of 36 eyes treated with tPA and one (33.3%) of three eyes not treated with tPA. In eyes with macroaneurysms, hemorrhage recurred in four (100%) of four eyes treated with tPA and in one (10.0%) of ten eyes without tPA (p < 0.005). Eight eyes underwent vitrectomy for recurrent hemorrhage. During follow-up, photodynamic therapy or intravitreal ranibizumab or pegaptanib was administered in 16 (41.0%) of 39 eyes with AMD. Postoperative ocular hypertension persisting over 3 days was not observed.

Intravitreal SF(6) gas plus tPA may be well-accepted, with good visual outcomes and no remarkable complications for treating submacular hemorrhage secondary to AMD. tPA is not recommended for ruptured retinal arterial macroaneurysms, because of a higher incidence of subsequent vitreous hemorrhage. Pneumatic displacement of submacular hemorrhage without tPA may provide good visual outcomes with less re-bleeding.