Tugba Ceti̇nkaya, Muhammed Mustafa Kurt

Evaluation of retinal neurodegeneration and choroidal thickness following vitrectomy surgery in patients with preexisting epiretinal membrane

To investigate neurodegenerative alterations, retinal and choroidal thickness measurements in patients who underwent pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) and the epiretinal membrane (ERM)+inner limiting membrane (ILM) peeling using swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT). The study was designed retrospectively. The eyes underwent PPV and ERM+ILM peeling comprised the study group, the fellow eyes served as the control group. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), intraocular pressure (IOL), and SS-OCT measurements, including central macular thickness (CMT), ganglion cell layer (GCL)+ and GCL++ thickness, and choroidal thickness (ChT) were analyzed. Inter- and intragroup analyses of these parameters were performed at baseline and 6th month of the postoperative period. The patients had a mean age of 68.63 years. In the study group, the initial BCVA (0.95±0.53 logMAR) showed a slight improvement to 0.79±0.49 logMAR at the 6th month of the postoperative period (P=0.059). Only baseline CMT (441.18±99.26 mm) significantly reduced to 377.36±80.26 mm at the final visit (P = 0.042). Preoperative GCL+ thickness, GCL++ thickness and ChT measurements decreased slightly at the final visit of the postoperative period (P= 0.483, 0.939 and 0.193, respectively). Normal fellow eyes had similar preoperative and postoperative BCVA, CMT, GCL thickness and ChT measurements (P>0.05 for both). Morphological results of ERM peeling surgery could be analyzed by using OCT to assess prognostic factors related to visual improvement. The outcomes of the study showed no significant visual function recovery following the ERM surgery. No GCL or choroidal thinning was noted. Significant CMT reduction was not associated with visual gain.

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