Abstract
Purpose: :
to correlate the unusual pattern of autofluorescence found in patients who underwent MT360 with microperimetric retinal sensitivity and OCT aspects of retinal layers.
Methods: :
perspective study on a continuous series of 50 eyes of 50 patients operated on between March 2003 and September 2008
Results: :
all patients underwent a complete ophthalmological examination including autofluorescence imaging (HRA-C, Heidelberg, Germany), microperimetry (Nidek tech., Padua, Italy) and OCT (Stratus Zeiss and Spectralis Heidelberg, Germany) before and after treatment. In almost half of the eyes a hyper-autofluorescence was noted postoperatively on the site of the displaced macula, which remained stable even after 2 years of follow-up, associated with an improvement of retinal sensitivity. Studying a sample of these patients with OCT spectral domain, it was found that the outer segment of photoreceptors, which disappeared in the preoperative images, reappeared on the postoperative scans, suggesting that during the healing process there is a remodelling of the connections between healthy RPE cells and photoreceptors.
Conclusions: :
hyper-autofluorescence after MT360 seems to be due to rarefaction of photoreceptors outer segments of translocated neuroretinal layer instead of accumulation of lipofuscin inside RPE cells. Improvement of retinal sensitivity could be related to a recovery of function of photoreceptors after re-connection with RPE cells.
Keywords: imaging methods (CT, FA, ICG, MRI, OCT, RTA, SLO, ultrasound) • vitreoretinal surgery • macula/fovea