ABSTRACT
Purpose: To report a simple modification of internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling tailored to the shape of the macular hole to improve the closure rates. Methods: This is a single?center interventional case series. conducted between 2016 and 2020. The minimum follow?up was 4 months. All surgeries were performed by one surgeon. Twenty consecutive patients (21 eyes) with large idiopathic macular holes (horizontal diameter: ?600 ?m) were enrolled; vertical hole diameters were also measured using spectral?domain optical coherence tomography (OCT). Following vitrectomy, ILM peeling was performed over a horizontally oval area (additional 1 disc?diameter temporally); perfluoropropane gas (C3F8, 15%) tamponade was used. Hole closure and change in best?corrected visual acuity (BCVA) were monitored after absorption of the gas. Preoperative and postoperative visual acuities were compared using paired t?test. IBM SPSS (ver. 26) was used for analysis. Results: The macular holes were horizontally oval rather than circular without exception: mean horizontal and vertical diameters were 714 ?m (range: 600–1020 ?m) and 602 ?m (490–844 ?m), respectively. Following vitrectomy, macular hole closure was obtained in 20/21 eyes by the last follow?up (mean: 28 months, median: 34 months; range 4–48 months). Mean Snellen BCVA improved from 20/200 to 20/63 (P < 0.0001). Conclusion: All the macular holes in the study were observed to be horizontally oval. A corresponding horizontal enlargement of the ILM rhexis yielded excellent anatomical and satisfactory visual outcomes
ABSTRACT
Context: Surgical outcomes of vitrectomy for idiopathic macular hole using a “heavy” Brilliant Blue G (HBBG) solution for staining and removal of the internal limiting membrane (ILM). Settings and Design: Prospective interventional case series conducted in a tertiary eye care hospital. Materials and Methods: Nineteen patients (20 eyes) with idiopathic macular hole were enrolled to undergo vitrectomy with ILM peeling using HBBG. BBG dye was made heavy by mixing with 10% dextrose normal saline (DNS) solution in 2:1 ratio. The adequacy of ILM staining was noted intraoperatively. The closure rates of macular hole and visual improvement were recorded. Patients were followed up postoperatively on day 1, week 1, and subsequently at 1, 3, and 6 months, and every 6th month thereafter. Statistical Analysis: Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used; P < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: Preoperative best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) ranged from 20/1000 to 20/63 (median: 20/100). Intraoperatively, the ILM stained very well in all eyes, and was easily removed. All macular holes closed postoperatively. The mean follow-up was 6.15 ± 2 months (range: 4-10; median: 6 months). Final BCVA ranged from 20/20 to 20/80 (median: 20/40), amounting to a significant visual improvement (P = 0.0001). BCVA improved by 1-8 Snellen lines in 19 eyes (95%); 16 eyes (80%) improved by ≥2 lines; 13 eyes (65%) achieved a final BCVA of 20/40 or better. Conclusions: Addition of 10% DNS to BBG dye allowed good ILM staining with less dye during macular hole surgery, and provided excellent anatomic and visual outcomes.