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CLINICAL STUDY
1
Department of
Ophthalmology, Gulhane
Military Medical Academy
and School of Medicine,
Ankara, Turkey
Department of Public
Health, Gulhane Military
Medical Academy and
School of Medicine,
Ankara, Turkey
Correspondence:
F Cuneyt Erdurman,
Department of
Ophthalmology, Gulhane
Military Medical Academy
and School of Medicine,
Etlik, Kecioren, 06018
Ankara, Turkey
Tel: 90 312 304 58 69;
Fax: 90 312 304 58 50.
E-mail: erdurman@
yahoo.com
Anatomical and
functional outcomes
in contusion injuries
of posterior
segment
Abstract
Introduction
The term contusion is used to describe closedglobe injury, which is not associated with fullthickness corneal and/or scleral wounds and is
mostly caused by blunt objects, but rarely by
sharp objects.1 Contusion injuries are caused by
various factors: most occur during daily
activities. Depending on the impact site and the
severity of the injury, blunt objects affect ocular
tissues through two types of injury mechanism:
(1) direct lacerations on the impact site, mostly
on the outer coat of the globe (ie, the cornea and
the sclera); and (2) indirect lacerations in the
inner layers of the globe (ie, the choroid and the
retina) including the optic nerve. The contusion
type of injury affecting the posterior segment
has been a matter of interest among
ophthalmologists for decades, due to related
poor visual outcome.2,3
In this study, we aimed to evaluate clinical
features, visual outcomes, and prognostic
factors in our patients with contusion injury
involving the posterior segment.
1051
Results
In all, 115 eyes of 115 cases with contusion injury
involving the posterior segment and complete data for
evaluation were studied. Mean age of the patients,
including 102 (89%) men and 13 (11%) women, was
2614 years (range, 380 years). In total, 80% of patients
(92 patients) were between the ages of 1930 years old.
Mean follow-up was 65 months (range, 234 months).
The majority of cases were work-related injuries (26%),
followed by assault-related injuries (19%) and sportsrelated injuries (18%). The patients demographic
characteristics and causes of injury are listed in Table 1.
The mean time for presentation to the hospital was 25
days (range, 1480 days) after the injury. Three cases (3%)
were also associated with lamellar laceration including
scleral laceration in two cases and corneoscleral
115
102/13
26 (380)
Age range
018
1930
3145
445
Mean follow-up time (months)
7
92
5
11
6
Causes of injury
Work related
Assault
Sports related
Explosive devices
Home accident
Vehicle accident
Other accidental injuries
30
22
21
16
13
3
10
Eye
1052
Presence of
coexisting lamellar
laceration or
suspicion of openglobe injury
No
Associated
with retinal
break
Not associated
with retinal
break or
intravitreal
hemorrhage
Medical
treatment
and/or
clinical
observation
No retinal
detachment
Associated
with dense
intravitreal
hemorrhage
Retinal
detachment
Surgical
treatment
LPC and
observation
Yes
Surgical
exploration
and/or wound
repair if
needed
Early
surgical
intervention
in suspicion
of retinal
break or
detachment
Figure 1 The management flow chart for posterior segment contusion injuries. LPC, laser photocoagulation.
36
24
23
15
7
5
4
6
2
1
1
Anterior segment
Hyphema
Cataract
Zonular dialysis
Angle recession
Iridodialysis
Lamellar laceration
33
24
8
6
6
5
a
Some eyes had more than one ocular findings in anterior and posterior
segment.
Eye
1053
Table 3 Presenting and final visual acuity levels in surgical treatment and medical treatment groups
Visual acuity level
Z20/40
20/5020/100
20/20020/400
CF to LP
NLP
Total, n 115
Presenting VA
Final VA
Presenting VA
Final VA
Presenting VA
Final VA
13
22
17
26
1
25
27
16
9
2
13
9
8
4
2
25
5
4
0
2
26
31
25
30
3
50
32
20
9
4
Abbreviations: CF, counting finger; LP, light perception; NLP, no light perception; VA, visual acuity.
Eye
1054
3
2
6
2
3
4
Medical treatment
group
Non-RD
2
1
1
Eye
posterior segment. Heterogeneity of the injuries, a wellknown feature, considerably limited comparison and
evaluation of the series. Similar to previous studies, most
patients in this series were male patients and young.47
As in our cases, contusion was typically caused by
working conditions, assault, sports, and routine daily
activities. In contrast to other series, explosives used in
terrorist acts caused 14% of the cases with contusion.
Patients were admitted to our hospital up to 25 days
after the injury, and only 20% of the cases had been
presented to our hospital within 24 h. Therefore, early
ocular findings, including the presence or absence of a
relative afferent pupillary defect, were not evaluated in
most of the cases and injuries were not classified
according to the criteria of the Ocular Trauma
Classification Group.8
Retinal detachment, found in almost one-third of the
cases, comprised the most frequent indication for surgery
in our cases. Archer and Canavan9 have shown that
contusion injuries in the retina and the choroid were
associated with retinal detachment in 9% of cases. Kuhn
and co-workers2 indicated that the rate of development
of retinal detachment increases to 16% when it is
complicated by vitreous hemorrhage. It seems that our
cases without retinal detachment had been treated at
primary care centers at the time of presentation; however,
those with probability of poor visual outcome due to
retinal detachment at presentation, and those who
developed retinal detachment later, had been referred to
our tertiary referral center for treatment.
As indicated, contusion injury represents the most
important cause of traumatic retinal detachment.10
Weidenthal and Schepens11 showed that blunt trauma
causes retinal break and dialysis by expanding laterally
at the equatorial zone and exerting traction at the
vitreous base. In general, these breaks happen when
sclera, rather than the anterior pole of the globe, was
struck. Anterior segment involvement is rare in this type
of closed-globe injury.12 Our experience with contusion
injury supports the notion that in contusion-type trauma,
although the initial damage may seem minimal, the
consequences are typically not. Complications may
include retinal detachment, even years after the
surgery.9,13 When the possibility of penetrating injury has
been eliminated, it is essential to carry out a thorough
retinal examination by indirect ophthalmoscopy. When
details of the retina were obscured, B-mode
ultrasonography was necessary for preoperative
evaluation of contusion injury. In contusion-type injury,
appropriately timed vitrectomy is crucial when vitreous
hemorrhage is present.14
In our study group, retinal attachment was achieved in
69% of cases after primary vitreoretinal surgery. When
clinical characteristics of the series were considered,
1055
Eye
1056
Summary
What was known before
K PVR is one of the common causes of surgical failure in
patients with penetrating ocular injuries.
What this study adds
K In this study, we aimed to report anatomical and
functional outcomes in a series of patients with posterior
segment contusion injuries. The development of PVR was
found to be prognostic in contusion-type closed-globe
injuries.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
References
1
Eye