Aspiration of viscous plug in macular hole surgery- a case series

Macular hole surgery has been revolutionized since the 1990s’ with the advent of pars plana vitrectomy with internal limiting membrane peeling and gas tamponade, which is now extensively practiced and regarded as the gold standard procedure for surgical treatment of macular hole. Here, we report a simple adjunctive maneuver to conventional PPV with ILM peel and gas tamponade. We observed presence of a viscous fluid in the base of the macular hole in our series. In all, 40 eyes of 39 patients consecutively operated on from June 2019 to December 2020 for PPV with ILM peel and gas tamponade, were included in this study. The viscous plug was aspirated passively using a 25 gauge cannula with its tip above the macular hole, approaching only until a fluid-wave was visualized, which resulted in flattening of the fluid cuff area aiding the macular hole closure in a concentric pattern. Macular hole closure and complete success was seen in 39 out of 40 eyes (97.5%) and only 1 failure (2.5%) observed in this series. In our case series, we have observed the presence of a viscous fluid plug in the macular hole. We demonstrated that aspirating this thick fluid from the hole results in the flattening of the cuff of fluid and subsequent closure of the macular hole in a concentric manner in almost all cases in our series. The lack of concurrent control group means we cannot state a definitive effect of the intervention, but it does suggest the utility of a prospective randomized controlled trial.

Autologous Retinal Transplant for Macular Hole

We aim to review scientific literature concerning published studies on autologous retinal transplantation to treat macular hole patients. The following databases were searched: Medline and Medline Non-Indexed Items, Embase (1990–2020), Ovid Medline® (1990 to November 2020), Embase (1990 to November 2020), Ovid Medline® and Epub Ahead of Print, in-Process and Web of Science (all years). Search keywords included “autologous”, “retinal transplant”, “autologous neurosensory retinal free flap” “transplantation”, “macular hole”, and “macular hole surgery”. Eighteen case series and single case reports were reviewed. Preoperative and final best-corrected visual acuity, microperimetry and multifocal electroretinogram findings, macular hole closure rate, preoperative and postoperative ellipsoid zone, and external limiting membrane defects were obtained and analyzed. Indications of autologous retinal transplantation for macular hole surgery included refractory macular holes, conventional techniques, and large macular holes. The number of cases included in the different case series ranged from 2 to 130 cases, and prior macular hole surgeries of the patients ranged from 0 to 3. Overall, the published case series of autologous retinal transplants have reported a macular hole closure rate of 66.7 to 100%, as well as a significant improvement in best-corrected visual acuity. The most frequently reported complications included considerable intraoperative bleeding and postoperative dislocation of the graft. The presence of functionality in the graft area has also been documented by microperimetry and multifocal electroretinogram. In conclusion, the autologous retinal transplantation technique for macular hole patients has emerged as another surgical option, with a high macular hole closure rate and visual improvement.

Frequently assessed and used prognostic factors for outcome after macular hole surgery: which is better?

Background The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate commonly used clinical and OCT-morphological parameters, including perifoveal pseudocysts, as prognostic factors for postoperative outcome after macular hole surgery in a retinal referral clinic in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Methods and material This was a retrospective analysis of all patients who underwent surgery because of idiopathic MH between 2011 and 2017 in Augenklinik Tausendfensterhaus, Duisburg, Germany. Statistical evaluation of clinical and OCT-based parameters, including the areas of intraretinal pseudocysts, was conducted. The main statistical outcomes were surgical success and visual acuity. Only parameters with a highly significant correlation to the outcome parameters (postoperative visual acuity (VA); surgical success) in univariate analysis were entered in linear and logistic regression analyses. Results A total of 189 eyes of 178 patients (71.4% female; mean age 67.5 ± 8.2 a) who underwent surgery because of MH were included. The overall closure rate was 86.8%. The mean best corrected VA increased from 0.7 ± 0.3 logMAR before surgery to 0.5 ± 0.3 logMAR (p < 0.0001). While several clinical and OCT-based parameters as well as calculated indices showed a significant correlation with the outcome measures, the regression analysis showed that the minimum linear diameter was the only parameter that both predicted surgical success (p = 0.015) and was correlated with postoperative VA (p < 0.001). Conclusion The minimum linear diameter serves as an easily assessed prognostic factor with the best predictive properties. This result is of great importance for clinical practice, as it simplifies the postsurgical prognosis.

Long-Term Observations of Thickness Changes of Each Retinal Layer following Macular Hole Surgery

Purpose. To determine the long-term changes of the thickness of each retinal layer following macular hole (MH) surgery combined with internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling. Method. The medical records of 42 eyes of 42 patients (41 to 86 years of age) who underwent MH surgery with ILM peeling between February 2016 and October 2018 were reviewed. A single surgeon operated on all patients, and all were followed for at least 24 months postoperatively. Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) was performed to obtain retinal thickness maps of the parafoveal region corresponding approximately to the ILM peeled area. Each retinal layer was automatically segmented by the embedded software, and thickness maps were constructed for the total retinal layer (TRL), inner RL (IRL), middle RL (MRL), and outer RL (ORL). The averaged value of each retinal layer thickness was analyzed in the temporal/upper, temporal/lower, nasal/upper, and nasal lower quadrants. Results. The TRL thickness was significantly decreased in the temporal areas postoperatively. The IRL thickness thinned progressively and significantly until 6 months without further thinning in the temporal quadrants. The MRL thickness of all areas was significantly thicker than the baseline values at 0.5 months and then gradually decreased in the temporal regions. However, the thickening in the nasal regions returned to the baseline values after 1.5 months. The ORL decreased transiently relative to the baseline values at 0.5 months in all areas. Conclusions. The ILM peeling does not affect only the thickness of the inner retina but also the middle and outer retinae in the parafoveal region. The chronological changes of the thickness after surgeries varied among the retinal layers and macular regions.