Abstract
Purpose :
Several previous studies with a small case series found concentric ring-like waves in the Henle fiber layer (HFL) of eyes with epiretinal membrane (ERM) on en-face optical coherence tomography (OCT) images. The distribution of fingerprint-like microwaves and the prognosis for eyes with ERM remain unclear. We performed a retrospective, observational clinical study to investigate the incidence and distribution of fingerprint-like microwaves in the Henle fiber layer (HFL) of the eyes with ERM and their impact on visual prognosis.
Methods :
Patients with idiopathic ERM were included. The fingerprint sign was defined using en-face OCT images of the HFL, and its extent was classified into three grades. Its prevalence, distribution, and relationship with baseline clinical characteristics and several parameters on B-scan OCT images were investigated. Its longitudinal changes with and without surgery were also studied.
Results :
This study included 83 patients (43 women and 40 men) with a mean age of 67.5 ± 8.8 years. At baseline, the fingerprint sign was found in 70 (84.3%) of 83 eyes with ERM but not in the fellow eyes without ERM. Preoperatively, fingerprint signs were more frequent in eyes with a higher ERM grade (P <0.001), and their extent increased (P <0.001) with an increase in ERM grade or the central macular thickness (P <0.001). The best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was correlated with the extent of fingerprint sign (r = 0.267, P = 0.015), and metamorphopsia was more common in eyes with a greater extent (P = 0.048). The fingerprint sign persisted over a mean follow-up period of 18.0 ± 23.3 without surgery. In 45 eyes that underwent surgery, the extent of fingerprint-like microwaves decreased at 1.2 months (P = 0.001), and further decreased at 13.7 months postoperatively (P = 0.019). However, the proportion of eyes with fingerprint signs after surgery was similar to that observed preoperatively (P = 0.912).
Conclusions :
Fingerprint-like microwaves were commonly found in eyes with ERM and were associated with ERM severity and BCVA. The microwaves remained long after surgery, although their extent may have decreased after the ERM was resolved. These results suggest that ERM traction may cause long-lasting changes in the HFL.
This abstract was presented at the 2024 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, WA, May 5-9, 2024.