Displacement of fovea toward optic disk after macular hole surgery with internal limiting membrane peeling

Retinal displacement after surgery for idiopathic macular hole

AIM

To review and summarize the mechanism hypothesis, influencing factors and possible consequences of macular retinal displacement after idiopathic macular hole (IMH) surgery.

METHODS

PubMed and Web of Science database was searched for studies published before April 2023 on "Retinal displacement", "Idiopathic macular holes", and "Macular displacement".

RESULTS

Recently, more academics have begun to focus on retinal displacement following idiopathic macular holes. They found that internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling was the main cause of inducing postoperative position shift in the macular region. Moreover, several studies have revealed that the macular hole itself, as well as ILM peeling method, will have an impact on the result. In addition, this phenomenon is related to postoperative changes in macular retinal thickness, cone outer segment tips line recovery, the occurrence of dissociated optic nerve fiber layer (DONFL) and the degree of metamorphopsia.

CONCLUSION

As a subclinical phenomenon, the clinical significance of postoperative macular displacement cannot be underestimated as it may affect the recovery of anatomy and function.

Automatic Determination of the Center of Macular Hole Using Optical Coherence Tomography En Face Images

To evaluate the automated determination of the center of an idiopathic macular hole (MH) by using swept-source optical coherence tomography (OCT) images with new macro-based algorithms in ImageJ and to compare the difference between the MH center measurements obtained automatically and manually. This cross-sectional study included 39 eyes of 39 elderly individuals (22 women, 17 men) with stage 3 and 4 MH. The MH center was automatically determined using the ImageJ macro. The foveal center was also manually identified by two masked examiners using horizontal and vertical serial B-scan OCT angiography images. The mean age was 68.8 ± 8.3 years. After adjusting for the effect of magnification, the mean distance between the MH center determined manually by Examiner 1 and that determined automatically was 15.5 ± 9.9 µm. The mean distance between the two manually determined measurements of the MH center was 20.3 ± 19.7 µm. These two mean distance values did not differ significantly (Welch t-test, p = 0.27) and was non-inferior (p < 0.0001). The automated ImageJ-based method for determining the MH center was comparable to manual methods. This study showed that automated measurements were non-inferior to manual measurements, and demonstrated a substitutable usefulness, at least for use in clinical practice.

Internal limiting membrane peeling in macular hole surgery

Since the era when macular hole was considered untreatable, macular hole surgery has come a long way to being one of the most successful surgeries. Internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling has been an essential step of macular hole surgery since the establishment of the role of ILM in the aetiopathogenesis and progression of macular hole. However, the novel technique was not all virtuous. It had some vices which were not evident immediately. With the advent of spectral domain optical coherence tomography, short- and long-term effects of ILM peeling on macular structures were known; and with microperimetry, its effect on the function of macula could be evaluated. The technique has evolved with time from total peeling to inverted flap to just temporal peeling and temporal flap in an attempt to mitigate its adverse effects and to improve its surgical outcome. ILM abrasion technique and Ocriplasmin may eliminate the need of ILM peeling in selected cases, but they have their own limitations. We here discuss the role of ILM in the pathogenesis of macular hole, the benefits and adverse effects of ILM peeling, and the various modifications of the procedure, to then explore the alternatives.

Foveal Displacement following Temporal Inverted Internal Limiting Membrane Technique for Full Thickness Macular Holes: 12 Months Results

Purpose: To compare conventional 360° internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling and temporal inverted ILM flap technique with regard to postoperative foveal displacement.Methods: Patients who underwent 23 G vitrectomy with either 360° ILM peeling (Group 1) or temporal inverted ILM technique (Group 2) for idiopathic macular hole with a minimum follow up of 12 months were included. The metamorphopsia rates and distances between fovea and 3 retinal landmarks: the first retinal vascular bifurcation or crossover located superonasal and inferonasal to the fovea and ciliary vessel at the temporal margin of the disc, were compared on MultiColor SLO and near-infrared reflectance images. In addition, papillofoveal distance was measured on B-scan optical coherence tomography (OCT).Results: A total of 57 eyes were recruited (Group 1, n = 25; Group 2, n = 32). The visual acuity at month-1 was significantly higher in Group 2 than Group 1 (p = .007). A significant postoperative foveal displacement towards the disc was observed in Group 1 and Group 2 (p < .001 and p = .002 respectively). Shortening of the papillofoveal distance was greater in Group 1 than Group 2 at all postoperative visits (p < .05 for all). Furthermore, significant changes in papillofoveal distance continued until 6 months in Group 1 (p < .05 for all), whereas no significant changes occurred in Group 2 after month-1 (p > .05 for all). The complaints of metamorphopsia was significantly higher in Group 1 (n = 18/25) compared with Group 2 (n = 10/32) (p = .002).Conclusion: Temporal inverted ILM flap appear to be superior to 360° ILM peeling with regard to faster visual rehabilitation, lower rates of subjective metamorphopsia and less foveal displacement.

POSTOPERATIVE MOVEMENT OF THE FOVEA AFTER SUCCESSFUL SURGERY IN PATIENTS WITH IDIOPATHIC EPIRETINAL MEMBRANES

PURPOSE

To evaluate the change in the fovea's postoperative location after successful pars plana vitrectomy with combined epiretinal and internal limiting membrane peeling in patients with idiopathic epiretinal membranes (iERMs).

METHODS

In this prospective study 32 eyes of 32 patients with iERMs were followed from baseline before until 3 months after surgery. Study measures included 4-m Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study best-corrected visual acuity, enhanced-depth imaging-optical coherence tomography, and intraoperative fundus photographs. Foveal movement was assessed by measuring the change in the papillofoveal distance (∆PFD).

RESULTS

Mean ∆PFD in the study eye was -124 µm (±138) and -272 µm (±213) one day and 3 months after surgery, respectively. Mean ∆PFD after 3 months was greater in the study than in the fellow eye (P < 0.001). ∆PFD at Month 3 did not correlate with the internal limiting membrane area peeled (P = 0.78).

CONCLUSION

Foveal movement starts immediately after surgery and causes a statistically significant reduction in PFD after uneventful macular pucker surgery. ∆PFD correlates statistically significantly with baseline best-corrected visual acuity and baseline central retinal thickness. The internal limiting membrane peeling size had no significant effect on the amount of postoperative foveal dislocation.

Macular morphometrics in foveal displacement following full thickness macular hole surgery

Purpose

To investigate if the ratio of the preoperative nasal and temporal "arms" of the macular hole (MH) can have a predictive value in the magnitude of foveal displacement postoperatively.

Methods

This is retrospective interventional case series of eyes of 40 patients with full-thickness macular hole (FTMH), which underwent vitrectomy with internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling and had Type 1 closure.All subjects underwent pre and postoperative optical coherence tomography (OCT, Heidelberg, Spectralis, Germany). Their pre and postoperative foveo-papillary distance (FPD) was measured and the magnitude of shift was calculated. The nasal and temporal arm lengths, their ratio (N/T ratio), and the hole base diameter were measured in the preoperative OCTs.The main outcome measure was the correlation of the N/T ratio with the postoperative foveal displacement.

Results

We observed that in 25% (n = 10) the fovea shifted temporally; in 75% (n = 30) it shifted nasally. The shift did not show a significant correlation with either N/T ratio (r = 0.155, P = 0.34) or with base diameter (r = -0.008, P = 0.961). The odds ratio (OR) was 4.92 (P = 0.04) and the relative risk (RR) was 3.12 (P = 0.039) for a longer temporal segment to predict a temporal shift.

Conclusion

Both nasal and temporal shifts are possible after successful hole closure and temporal shifts can also occur in a significantly high proportion of patients. Temporal shifts are more likely in eyes with a longer temporal segment.