Relationship between macular hole size and the potential benefit of internal limiting membrane peeling
- Correspondence to: R Tadayoni Service d’Ophtalmologie, Hôpital Lariboisière, 2, Rue Ambroise Paré, 75010 Paris, France;ramin.tadayoni{at}lrb.aphp.fr
- Accepted 13 May 2006
Abstract
Aim: To investigate the relationship between the size of macular holes and the possible benefit of internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling.
Methods: 84 consecutive cases of idiopathic macular hole followed up for at least 3 months were included in this retrospective study. Surgery comprised pars plana vitrectomy, peeling of any epiretinal membrane, 17% C2F6 (hexafluoroethane) gas filling and 10 days of positioning. 36 eyes had ILM peeling. The main outcome measure was the macular hole closure rate checked by optical coherence tomography.
Results: The overall postoperative closure rate was 90.5%. For macular holes ≥400 μm in diameter, the rate was 100% with ILM peeling versus 73.3% without (p = 0.015). For smaller macular holes, the rates were 100% in both groups. Postoperative gain in visual acuity was not significantly different in eyes with ILM peeling and those without.
Conclusions: ILM peeling does not seem to be useful for macular hole <400 μm in diameter. Its likely benefit has to be investigated for larger macular hole sizes, for which the failure rate is higher.
Footnotes
-
Competing interests: None.
-
Published Online First 29 June 2006









