Vitreous hemorrhage after intravitreal tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) and pneumatic displacement of submacular hemorrhage

Abstract

PURPOSE: To report the immediate complication of dense vitreous hemorrhage after intravitreal injection of tissue plasminogen activator and gas for treatment of two cases of sudden submacular hemorrhage associated with retinal arterial macroaneurysm. METHODS: Case reports. RESULTS: Two patients, a 67-year-old woman and a 92-year-old man, presented with sudden vision loss related to submacular hemorrhage from a retinal macroaneurysm. Tissue plasminogen activator at a dose of 50 μg to 75 μg and a sulfur hexafluoride (SF 6) gas bubble were injected intravitreally under local anesthesia. Dense vitreous hemorrhage was noted on the first postoperative day in both cases, which subsequently required pars plana vitrectomy removal. CONCLUSION: Sudden severe vitreous hemorrhage may be an immediate complication after intravitreal injection of tissue plasminogen activator and gas for treatment of submacular hemorrhage associated with retinal arterial macroaneurysm.