Abstract
Purpose:
To compare the macular retinal ganglion cell plus inner plexiform layer (RGC) thickness between individuals with normal vitreomacular interface and subjects with vitreomacular adhesion (VMA), vitreomacular traction (VMT) and macular holes (MHs).
Methods:
The Institutional Review Board approved this retrospective cohort study. Nine hundred fifteen clinical charts were revised. The sample was divided into 4 groups according to the International Vitreomacular Traction Study Group Classification of VMA, VMT, and MH. The normal group comprised 797 eyes, the VMA group included 100 eyes, and the VMT and MH groups had 10 and 8 eyes, respectively. All participants had to have a good quality (≥6/10) macular spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) scan performed with the Cirrus HD OCT (Carl Zeiss Meditec, Dublin, CA). The Macular Cube 512x128 scans were analyzed with the Ganglion Cell Analysis protocol. Left eye data were converted to a right eye format. The RGC thicknesses were compared by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA; Scheffe post hoc multiple comparisons test) between groups. The Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons was applied, resulting in a significance level of p≤0.006.
Results:
Age did not differ significantly between the groups. The VMA (p=0.001) and the VMT (p=0.002) groups had a thinner GCL in the superior sector compared to the normal group. The MH group had a thinner GCL than the control group in the superior nasal (p=0.002) and inferior nasal (p=0.001) sectors, while the GCL in the AVM and MH groups was thinner than the normal group in the inferior sector (p<0.001 and p=0.002, respectively). The average GCL + inner plexiform layer thickness was reduced in the AVM and MH groups while the minimum GCL + inner plexiform layer was thinner in the AVM and VMT groups.
Conclusions:
A reduction of the inner layers was related to diseases of the vitreomacular interface. In general, the GCL measured by Cirrus OCT was thinner in the VMA, VMT and the MH groups compared to the normal group.