Scanning electron microscopy results of the vitreous body in asteroid hyalosis

PURPOSE To evaluate the structure of vitreous body in asteroid hyalosis by low vacuum scanning electron microscopy. MATERIAL AND METHODS The material of the study was samples of the vitreous body obtained from 7 patients aged from 62 to 72 years with vitreomacular traction syndrome during vitrectomy. In all cases, clinical manifestations of asteroid hyalosis (the presence of multiple point-like echo-positive inclusions) were identified during the preoperative examination. Samples for scanning electron microscopy and chemical microanalysis were prepared without using fixation elements, total dehydration, staining or centrifugation, and according to the so-called principle of bougienage, which consists in partial separation of fractions of the gel-like tissue with a stream of saline. RESULTS The conducted examinations made it possible to identify various types of local accumulations of mineral elements in the vitreous body in asteroid hyalosis - called asteroid bodies - that is, multiple complex rounded formations consisting of needle-shaped crystals of a radial fibrous structure. CONCLUSION The developed algorithm, which includes intraoperative sampling of the vitreous body in conditions of its minimal hydration and a special technique for preparing samples for scanning electron microscopy and chemical microanalysis, provides the capability for the in vivo assessment of morphological changes in hyaloid elements of the vitreous body. With that, asteroid bodies can be considered as markers of the vitreous structures that are difficult to visualize.