Preliminary report: indication of improved viual function after retinal heet tranplantation in retiniti pigmentoa patient

PURPOE: To report indication of new viual function after retinal tranplantation in two blind patient with retiniti pigmentoa. METHOD: Intact heet of fetal retina (15 and 17 week getational age) were tranplanted ubretinally (between the neuroenory retina and the retinal pigment epithelium) near the fovea in the left eye of a 23-year-old white man (Patient A) and in the left eye of a 72-year-old white woman (Patient B), both with autoomal-receive retiniti pigmentoa. REULT: Potoperatively, at 6 and 5 month, repectively, both patient reported new viual enation in the viual field correponding to the tranplant. In both patient, the viual enation continued to be preent after tranplantation, at 12 and 8 month, repectively. In Patient A, a tranient multifocal electroretinography (mfERG) repone wa oberved in the tranplant area 4 month potoperatively but wa not detectable in Patient A at 6.0 and 9.5 month pot–retinal tranplantation. In Patient B, no poitive mfERG repone were een up to 5 month potoperatively. No rejection (preenting a cytoid macular edema, macular pucker, and extenive intraretinal edema with dirupted retinal pigment epithelium) to the tranplanted tiue wa een up to 13 month in Patient A and 9 month in Patient B by fluorecein angiography. CONCLUION: Tranplantation of intact heet of fetal human retina in two patient with retiniti pigmentoa wa not aociated with evidence of tranplant rejection. ubjective improvement and an indication of objective improvement 4 month potoperatively were een in Patient A, and ubjective improvement only wa een in Patient B.