You are here

Article Text

Article menu

This article has a correction. Please see:

Download PDFPDF
Original Article
Laboratory science
Transthyretin levels in the vitreous correlate with change in visual acuity after vitrectomy
  1. E Van Aken1,
  2. E A De Letter2,
  3. M Veckeneer3,
  4. L Derycke4,
  5. T van Enschot5,
  6. I Geers5,
  7. S Delanghe5,
  8. J R Delanghe5
  1. 1
    Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Ghent, Ghent, Belgium
  2. 2
    Department of Forensic Medicine, University Hospital Ghent, Ghent, Belgium
  3. 3
    Rotterdam Eye Hospital, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
  4. 4
    Upper Airway Research Laboratory, University Hospital Ghent, Ghent, Belgium
  5. 5
    Department of Clinical Chemistry, University Hospital Ghent, Ghent, Belgium
  1. Correspondence to Dr E Van Aken, Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Ghent, De Pintelaan 185, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium; elisabeth.vanaken{at}ugent.be

Abstract

Background/aim: Little is known about biochemical markers related to change in visual acuity after vitrectomy. The potential use of transthyretin (TTR), a carrier of the retinol/retinol-binding protein, as a biochemical marker protein, was investigated.

Methods: TTR was measured using immunonephelometry in a group of patients (n = 77) in longstanding (>1 week) retinal detachment (n = 29), fresh (<1 week) retinal detachment (n = 17), macular holes (n = 20) or diabetic retinopathy (n = 11). Vitreous samples were taken at the start of every vitrectomy procedure. For reference values, cadaver specimens (n = 73) were used.

Results: Reference values for vitreous TTR (median 18 mg/l; IQR 4 to 24 mg/l) comprised 2.2% of reference values for vitreous protein levels (median 538 mg/l; IQR 269 to 987 mg/l). Vitreous TTR values of patients were comparable in all disorders. Vitreous TTR values were higher in phakic (median 22.5 mg/l; IQR 10 to 27 mg/l) than in pseudophakic patients (median 12 mg/l; IQR 8 to 19 mg/l; p = 0.06). Postoperative change in visual acuity correlated well with vitreous TTR values found peroperatively (rs = 0.408; p = 0.012). Both change in visual acuity and lens status were the only variables which proved to explain the variance of TTR (multiple correlation coefficient: 0.494; phakic status: t = 2.767; p = 0.0084; and change in visual acuity t = 2.924: p = 0.0056).

Conclusion: Vitreous fluid concentrations of TTR can be regarded as a biochemical marker for retinal function.

https://doi.org/10.1136/bjo.2009.158048

Statistics from Altmetric.com

    Request Permissions

    If you wish to reuse any or all of this article please use the link below which will take you to the Copyright Clearance Center’s RightsLink service. You will be able to get a quick price and instant permission to reuse the content in many different ways.

    View Full Text

    Footnotes

    • Competing interests None.

    • Provenance and Peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

    • Ethics approval Ethics approval was provided by the Ethics Committee of University Ghent Hospital, Belgium.

    • Patient consent Obtained.

    Linked Articles

    • PostScript
      CORRECTION
      BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.BMA House, Tavistock Square, London, WC1H 9JR
      British Journal of Ophthalmology 2009; 93 1696-1696 Published Online First: 25 Nov 2009. doi: 10.1136/bjo.2009.158048corr1