Abstract:

Objective To investigate the clinical characteristics and surgical outcomes of persistent hyperplastic primary vitreous (PHPV). Methods The clinical data of 129 children with PHPV were retrospectively analysed, including preoperative visual acuity, intraocular pressure, ocular axial length and PHPV types, and the contralateral eyes of the affected ones were served as normal control group. Surgical treatment was performed in children with indications, and the major surgical procedures were lensectomy and vitrectomy. Patients were followed up for 1 to 40 months. Results A total of 129 patients (138 eyes) were enrolled, among whom 82 were males (63.6%) and 47 were females (36.4%). The age of initial diagnosis ranged from 6 d to 13 years, with the average of (2.8±3.1) years. As to the PHPV types, anterior type accounted for 5.1% (7/138), combined type 79.7% (110/138) and posterior type 15.2% (21/138). Examinations before surgery indicated that the visual acuity of 33.3% (11/33) of the affected eyes was ≥0.1, that of 27.3% of the affected eyes was lower than finger counting, and that of the 28 normal control eyes was ≥0.1. The intraocular pressure was normal in 77.1% (37/48) of the affected eyes, and that was normal in 95.2% of the normal controls. The average ocular axial length of the 45 affected eyes was shorter than that of the 36 normal controls. Forty-seven children (49 eyes) were followed up, including 34 cases with surgery. After surgery, most complications of the affected eyes were eliminated, and visual acuity was detected in 10 eyes, including visual acuity ≥0.1 in 3 affected eyes and that lower than finger counting in 1 affected eye. Conclusion The age is big and the age span is large for initial diagnosis of children with PHPV, which are mainly presented as combined type and posterior type. Improvement in visual acuity is limited for surgical cases, but better results may be achieved in preservation of useful vision and prevention and treatment of complications.

Key words: persistent hyperplastic primary vitreous, clinical characteristics, surgery, infant