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5-FU may help prevent PVR, surgeon says

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ORLANDO, Fla. — Intravitreal injection of 5-fluoroucil may be effective in preventing proliferative vitreoretinopathy in high-risk patients, according to a surgeon speaking here.

Proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) is the most common cause of retinal detachment following vitrectomy. G. William Aylward, FRCS, MD, speaking at Retina Subspecialty Day during the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting, said the use of 5-FU presents a “simple, cheap and effective way” of preventing PVR in these patients.

Dr. Aylward described a clinical trial including 174 patients, conducted at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, which evaluated the efficacy of 5-FU in reducing the incidence of PVR in high-risk patients. Postoperative incidence of PVR was reduced by “roughly half” in the treatment group, he said.

Dr. Aylward said additional study is still needed, and a trial is currently evaluating the efficacy of 5-FU for treating established PVR. Another trial is planned to evaluate the use of 5-FU in all patients undergoing vitrectomy for retinal detachment, rather than only those deemed high-risk.