Proliferative Vitreoretinopathy

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of intravitreal topotecan for the treatment of patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment due to proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) or resulting from an open globe injury, and compare the outcomes to those who do no receive intravitreal topotecan. The main objectives it aims to achieve are: * to study the safety profile of intravitreal topotecan in the treatment of PVR * to evaluate the efficacy of intravitreal topotecan in treating PVR. Post-consent, participants will: * undergo vitrectomy (with or without scleral buckle) as part of standard treatment for retinal detachment. * receive intravitreal topotecan at the time of surgery, post-operative day 7 and post-operative day 28 (if randomized to receive the medication) * come in at post-operative day 1, 7, 28, 56, 84, 126 and 168 to undergo a complete ophthalmic exam along with a fundus photography and optical coherence tomography of the macula, have their intraocular pressure and visual acuity measured and their adverse events monitored, if any. Researchers will compare participants who receive intravitreal topotecan for PVR to those who do not to see if there is a significant variability in recurrence of retinal detachment, rate of retinal reattachment and PVR grade 6 months after surgery.

Disease or general study area: Uncomplicated rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) and risk of proliferative vittroretinopathy (PVR) Purpose and nature of the study: 1. Characterise the cytokine profile of vitreous fluid in uncomplicated RRD. 2. Develop a risk model to predict development of PVR after retinal detachment surgery using imaging and molecular biomarkers. 3. To develop deep learning/artificial intelligence (AI) models for PVR detection in retinal detachment. Inclusion criteria: 50 adult ( ≥18 years) patients with uncomplicated rhegmatogenous retinal detachments without PVR. What participating will involve: Pre- and post-operative assessments and intervention will follow standard of care for patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachments. Additional intervention will include non-invasive imaging of anterior chamber flare, vitreous, wide-field retina, macula optical coherence tomography (OCT) and macula OCT-angiography (OCT-A) as well as, seeking participant's consent on collecting their vitreous fluid at time of their surgery for cytokine analysis.

This study has two main objectives. The first objective is to study the pharmacokinetics of topical netarsudil administration in the posterior segment of the eye, where netarsudil must exert its effect in order to prevent formation of tractional membranes. The second objective is to assess the safety profile of topical netarsudil in the pre- and post-operative periods. A secondary objective of the study is to begin to assess signs of efficacy in preventing formation of tractional membranes post-operatively.

Intravitreal topotecan exhibits strong anti-inflammatory, anti-proliferative, and anti-fibrotic properties, making it a promising option for preventing and treating proliferative vitreoretinopathy in rhegmatogenous retinal detachment. Preclinical studies have demonstrated its efficacy in proliferative vitreoretinopathy models, where no adverse events have been reported for doses of 5 µg to 30 µg. This prospective, matched cohort study aims to assess the therapeutic efficacy and safety of intravitreal topotecan for preventing and treating proliferative vitreoretinopathy in rhegmatogenous retinal detachment patients.

I. Title Prevention of ProliFerative Vitreoretinopathy with Intravitreal MethotreXate in Primary Retinal DEtachment Repair (FIXER) Trial * Today's Date: September 18, 2023 II. Principal Investigator * Principal Investigator: Christopher D. Riemann, M.D. (Cincinnati Eye Institute) * Email: [email protected], Phone: 513-708-1979 V. Research Summary Purpose: To evaluate methotrexate for the prevention of PVR after primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachment repair. Methods: Inclusion Criteria: • Any adult patient, age ≥18 years-old, undergoing primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachment surgery with pars plana vitrectomy at the Cincinnati Eye Institute in Blue Ash, Ohio who is able to give informed consent. Exclusion Criteria: * Age \<18 years old * Pregnant patients or patients of child bearing potential unwilling to utilize long term contraception for the 12-week period spanning vitrectomy surgery for retinal detachment repair up until the 3 month postoperative visit. * History of endophthalmitis, ruptured globe or significant trauma in the affected eye * Chronic retinal detachment (symptoms greater than or equal to six weeks) * Any previous previous retinal detachment repair with pars plana vitrectomy, or scleral buckling surgery. Patients having undergone previous pneumatic retinopexy will not be excluded. * Presence of Grade C PVR: full thickness retinal folds or subretinal bands * Patients with contraindications to methotrexate, including breastfeeding, pregnancy, attempting to conceive a child or any known hypersensitivity or intolerance to methotrexate * Patients with diminished mental capacity precluding their ability to give informed consent. Study Design and Randomization This prospective double masked trial will randomize patients into four groups in a 1:1:1:1 fashion. All attending surgeons and patients will be masked to group randomization. Randomization into four groups will occur on the day of surgery by the Cincinnati Eye Institute's pharmacist, Deepali Chachare. Group A will consist of ≥ 150 patients receiving intraoperative infusion with balanced salt solution containing methotrexate (40mg/500mL BSS), and methotrexate intravitreal injections (400mcg/0.05mL) at postoperative weeks 1, 3, 6, and 10. Group B will consist of ≥ 150 patients receiving intraoperative balanced salt solution infusion containing methotrexate, and sham intravitreal injections at postoperative weeks 1, 3, 6, and 10. Group C will consist of ≥ 150 patients receiving a balanced salt solution infusion without methotrexate, and methotrexate injections at postoperative weeks 1, 3, 6, and 10. Group D will consist of ≥ 150 patients receiving intraoperative balanced salt solution infusion without methotrexate, and sham intravitreal injections at postoperative weeks 1, 3, 6, and 10.

Despite advances in surgical techniques over the recent decades, proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) remains the main obstacle to successful rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) repair, accounting for nearly 75% of all primary surgical failures. It is characterized by the growth and contraction of cellular membranes within the vitreous cavity and on both surfaces of the detached retina as well as intraretinal fibrosis. The Retina Society classification, modified in 1991 and currently the most widely used, divided PVR into three grades. Grade A is limited to the presence of vitreous haze and pigment clumps. Grade B includes rolled or irregular edges of tear and/or inner retinal surface wrinkling with possible retinal stiffness and vessel tortuosity. Grade C is defined as the presence of full-thickness fixed retinal folds and is further subdivided based on the number of hours involved and the location. Recently, Foveau et al., in a retrospective comparative case series, have demonstrated that performing internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling during RRD surgery may increase the anatomical success rate for this indication. The aim of this multi-center, prospective, randomized controlled clinical trial study is to evaluate the effectiveness of ILM peeling on surgical outcomes in patients with primary macula-off RRD complicated by grade B PVR.