Recurrence of vitreous amyloidosis and need of surgical reintervention in Portuguese patients with familial amyloidosis ATTR V30M.

PURPOSE: Vitreous amyloid deposits are one of the most common ocular manifestations of familial amyloidosis ATTR V30M (FAP-I), which can be the only manifestation of the disease and can appear even after liver transplantation. Removal by vitrectomy is usually performed, but vitreous amyloid recurrence has been frequently reported. This study was undertaken to evaluate the recurrence of vitreous amyloidosis and its relationship with the degree of previous vitreous removal.
METHODS: Fifty-four vitrectomized eyes from 32 patients with FAP-I were evaluated in the course of a follow-up period of 30.7 ± 17.2 months (range, 8-78; median = 30 months). An extensive, as possible, vitrectomy with indentation was performed in 41 eyes (complete), and in the others 13 eyes only a vitrectomy without indentation (incomplete) was performed. The parameters evaluated were the incidence of amyloid deposits and visual outcomes.
RESULTS: A noteworthy visual acuity gain was observed, although a few patients had a subsequent decrease of visual acuity related to new vitreous amyloid deposition in the visual axis. These new amyloid deposits did not occur in eyes that had undergone extensive vitreous removal, but only in nonextensive vitrectomized eyes (P < 0.001).
CONCLUSION: Recurrence of amyloid deposition only occurred in nonextensive vitrectomized eyes and represents a false recurrence associated with incomplete vitrectomy.