Abstract
Abstract: :
Purpose: The formation of a macular hole severely comprises visual acuity. Vitreoretinal surgery providing "closure"of the macular hole has become an effective method to recover visual function. We investigated if scanning laser tomography can be used to verify a successful intervention. Methods: Sixteen patients presenting with stage III and IV macular holes were treated by peeling of the internal limiting membrane, application of autologous thrombocytes and intraocular gas tamponade. The Heidelberg Retina Tomograph (HRT) was used to acquire 15°–mean topographies of the macula preoperatively and three months after the procedure. Results: The preoperative topographies showed a macular prominence of 130 (± 84) micron that significantly decreased in all successfully closed holes (46 ± 87 micron). Thirteen of sixteen operated macular holes showed improvement of viusal acuity averaging from 0,19 to 0,43. Conclusion: Laser scanning tomography seems to be a reliable tool to evaluate the antomic changes induced by macular hole surgery. In our study, postoperative regression of macular prominence strongly correlated with the recovery of visual acuity. Further studies are necessary to identify potential prognostic factors.
Keywords: macular holes • imaging/image analysis: clinical • imaging methods (CT, FA, ICG, MRI, OCT, RTA, SLO, ultrasound)