2M.D. Professor, Düzce University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Ophthalmology, Düzce/TURKEY Purpose: The aim of the present study was to investigate the impact of blood pressure on re-hemorrhage after conventional vitrectomy in patients with diabetic retinopathy who had vitreous hemorrhage due to proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR).
Materials and Methods: A total of 40 eyes of 40 patients who had undergone pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) for PDR and vitreous hemorrhage were included in the study. All patients were monitored and blood pressure was measured during the operation. Silicone oil tamponade was not applied to any case after PPV.
Results: A total 40 patients with a mean age of 58±6 years [16 female (40%), 24 male (60%)] were included in the study. Re-hemorrhage was found in 8 of 40 patients during postoperative follow-up. All of these eight patients had intraoperative or early postoperative high systemic blood pressure. Intraoperative or early postoperative high blood pressure was found only in 5 of 32 patients who did not encounter re-hemorrhage. The risk of re-hemorrhage was 61.5% in patients who had intraoperative or postoperative blood pressure of ≥150 mmHg. No re-hemorrhage was detected in cases with intraoperative or postoperative blood pressure of <150. The difference was statistically significant (p<0.001).
Conclusion: High systemic blood pressure increases the risk of re-hemorrhage in patients who underwent pars plana vitrectomy for PDR.
Keywords : Hypertension, proliferative diabetic retinopathy, pars plana vitrectomy, vitreous hemorrhage