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Acute retrolental fibroplasia

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Albrecht von Graefes Archiv für klinische und experimentelle Ophthalmologie Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

A pathologic analysis of 19 cases of acute retrolental fibroplasia in autopsy eyes from paranatal infants is presented.

The clinical profile of these subjects showed no clear-cut maternal factors. Infant factors included systemic congenital anomalies (14 eases); ocular congenital anomalies (1); birth weight—less than 1500 grams (12), more than 2000 grams (4); neonatal complications—“respiratory distress” (8), “apneic spells” (7), Erythroblastosis fetalis (3); oxygen therapy of varying amounts (14); periodic elevations of arterial oxygen (7); and varying survival times (intrauterine death, one case; less than 48 extrauterine hours, 9 cases).

Considering all cases, the lesions showed a progressive pattern—beginning with proliferation of primitive vascular mesenchyme in vanguard of advancing vasculature (four cases), formation of intraretinal band of endothelial cells in rear guard (10 cases), and finally, extraretinal neovascularization from rear guard zone (five cases).

Zusammenfassung

Die Augenbefunde von 19 Fällen akuter retrolentaler Fibroplasie werden nach pathologischem Gesichtspunkt ausgewertet. Die Augen waren bei der Obduktion gewonnen worden.

Die klinischen Befunde ergaben keinen sicheren Anhaltspunkt, wonach ein mütterlicher Faktor eine Rolle spielen könnte. Die Krankenbefunde an den Kindern ergaben folgendes: Geburtsfehler (14 Fälle), angeborene Augenanomalie (1), Geburtsgewicht weniger als 1500 Gramm (12), Geburtskomplikationen, Atemnot (3), Sauerstoffbehandlung in verschiedener Konzentration (14), zeitweilige Erhöhung des arteriellen Sauerstoffes (7) und verschieden lange Überlebenszeit (intrauteriner Tod in einem Fall, Tod in den ersten 48 Std in 9 Fällen).

In allen Fällen zeigte der pathologische Vorgang eine fortschreitende Verschlechterung: Er beginnt mit einer Wucherung primitiven Gewebsmesenchyms in Form einer „Vorhut“ sich vorwärts entwickelnder Gefäße (4 Fälle). Dann entsteht ein Band von Endothelzellen innerhalb der Netzhaut in Form einer „Nachhut“ (10 Fälle) und schließlich bilden sich neue Gefäße außerhalb der Netzhaut von dieser „Nachhutzone“ aus (5 Fälle).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Department of Pathology and the Jules Stein Eye Institute, UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California

    R. Y. Foos

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  1. R. Y. Foos
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Read to Annual Meeting of the Retina Society, September 13–14, 1974, Montreal, Canada.

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Foos, R.Y. Acute retrolental fibroplasia. Albrecht von Graefes Arch. Klin. Ophthalmol. 195, 87–100 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00417112

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