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This abstract is assigned to session FAB: Fluorescein Angiography Club Belgium

Title

The Clinical Use of Ultrasound in the Evaluation of Posterior Hyaloid Detachment

Purpose	The adhesion of the vitreous on the retina plays a major role in several pathologies, such as vitreomacular traction, macular hole formation, diabetes and age related macular degeneration. Moreover, determining the status of the posterior hyaloid by ultrasound imaging is often a key examination in several surgical settings, such as the risk of retinal detachment in e.g. fellow eyes with retinal detachment or in high myopia before cataract surgery, the risk of vitreous hemorrhage in diabetes and the ease of vitrectomy in (young) patients.
Methods	The 10 Mhz ultrasound probe B-Scan Echography was used in all patients to evaluate the status of the posterior hyaloid using the Ellex EyeCubed: a two-dimensional scan of each eye’s posterior segment delivered a 6-scan evaluation of the posterior hyaloid, 4 longitudinal sections and 2 transverse sections. Patients without vitreous detachment were treated with an intravitreal microplasmin injection (or placebo) to induce enzymatic detachment of the posterior vitreous in 2 phase 3 randomized prospective trials (in total, 652 patients were included).
Results	Using the Ellex EyeCubed 10-Mhz probe, grading of the posterior vitreous detachment was possible in 4 stages, varying from no detachment (stage 0) to complete vitreous detachment (stage 4). In contrast to ultrasound imaging, the status of the posterior hyaloid could be assessed with OCT when the vitreous detachment progressed into stage 2 or higher.
Conclusion	This study demonstrates that the distinction between various stages of ocular diseases is possible when high-resolution axial and paraxial B-scan ultrasound exams are performed.

Author 1

Last name	STALMANS
Initials	P
Department	Oogheelkunde UZLeuven
City	Leuven