[Treatment of Retinal Vein Occlusion - Is There Still a Role for Vitreoretinal Surgery?]

Surgical manoeuvres for the treatment of retinal vein occlusion peaked at the turn of the century. The first overwhelming reports could not be confirmed in prospective studies. Furthermore, the functional success was never comparable to intravitreal drug therapy, and the manoeuvres are no longer used in clinical routine. The procedures, the surgical theory and the criticism on vitrectomy, radial optic neurotomy (RON), retinal endovascular fibrinolysis (REVL) and arteriovenous dissection (AVD) will be discussed in this paper. Surgical manoeuvres for the treatment of retinal vein occlusion had a peak by the end of the last and the beginning of the present century. The first overwhelming reports could not be confirmed in prospective studies. Furthermore, the functional success was never comparable to the intravitreal drug therapy and the manoeuvres are no longer used in clinical routine. The procedures, the surgical theory and the criticism on vitrectomy, radial optic neurotomy (RON), retinal endovascular fibrinolysis (REVL), and arteriovenous dissection (AVD) will be discussed in this paper.