Abstract
Purpose :
To characterize changes in macular thickness and central foveal thickness following pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) and membrane peel (MP) for idiopathic epiretinal membranes.
Methods :
Eyes that underwent PPV/MP for idiopathic ERM at a single clinical center from 2014-2018 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients with concurrent retinal diseases such as prior rhegmatogenous pathology, diabetic retinopathy, vascular occlusive disease, uveitis, and vitreomacular traction were excluded. Demographic data, baseline visual acuity, and follow up visual acuity were recorded. Spectral domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) images of eyes at baseline, 6 months postoperatively, 12 months postoperatively, and 24 months postoperatively were reviewed. Central macular thickness (CMT) and maximum macular thickness were recorded at each of those time points. All statistical analysis was conducted using STATA.
Results :
A total of 25 patients with a minimum of 6 month follow up were included in the study. Th mean age at the time of surgery was 66 years (SD 2.2 years) and 44% were female. Preoperative visual acuity ranged from 20/30 to 20/400. 60% of patients had improvement of visual acuity, 13% had no change, and 27% had worse visual acuity at 6 months. The mean preoperative CMT was 521 microns, which had a statistically significant decrease to 367 microns (p< 0.001), 401 microns (p< 0.001), and 385 microns (p= 0.05) at 6, 12, and 24 months follow up, respectively. No statistically significant change was noted between the postoperative time points. Of note, only one eye had an increase in CMT at follow up. Average preoperative maximal macular thickness was 535 microns, which decreased to 388 microns (p< 0.001), 414 microns (p= 0.002), and 402 microns (p=0.06) at 6, 12, and 24 months respectively. No statistically significant difference was noted in comparing the maximal thickness at each of the postoperative time points.
Conclusions :
In this study, we found a statistically significant decrease in central macular thickness at 6 months. Our results suggest that no further improvement in central macular thickness or maximal macular thickness is seen beyond 6 months following surgery.
This abstract was presented at the 2019 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Vancouver, Canada, April 28 - May 2, 2019.