[Role of the vitreous body in vitreoretinal diseases].

Recent research during the last decades revealed evidence for the pathogenic role of the vitreous in many diseases of the retina. After a survey of the surgical anatomy and biochemistry of the vitreous, the author summarises present knowledge of various vitreoretinal disorders. Vitreoretinal disorders are discussed as follows: congenital anomalies, pathologic vitreoretinal adhesions, vitreous opacities, inflammatory diseases, vitreous hemorrhages and cellular infiltration of the vitreous. Special emphasis is placed on vitroretinal disorders of general importance, such as diabetic retinopathy, endogenous (fungal) endophthalmitis, Whipple disease, Crohn disease, sarcoidosis, shaken-baby syndrome, Terson syndrome, metastatic tumours of the choroid, cellular infiltration of the vitreous due to leukaemia or non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and amyloidosis. During the last few years better understanding of vitreoretinal disorders and improved diagnostic and therapeutic methods opened a new era of vitreoretinal surgery.