Inverted internal limiting membrane flap technique for very large macular hole

AIMTo assess the anatomical and visual outcome of idiopathic macular holes greater than 1000 µm using the inverted internal limiting membrane flap technique.METHODSThis retrospective case series included 5 eyes of 5 patients with idiopathic macular hole with base diameter greater than 1000 µm who underwent inverted internal limiting membrane flap technique along with standard 23G pars plans vitrectomy with posterior hyaloid detachment and fluid gas exchange with 12%-14% perfluoropropane (C3F8). Preoperative and postoperative visual acuity and spectral domain optical coherence tomography images were evaluated. The main outcome measures were visual outcome and macular hole closure.RESULTSMean age was 63.2±8.4y with all 5 subjects being females. Mean duration of symptoms was 11±14mo with a mean postoperative follow up of 13.2±13mo. The mean base diameter of the macular holes was 1420±84.8 µm (1280-1480 µm). Type 1 closure was achieved in four out of five patients, while one patient had type 2 closure using the inverted internal limiting membrane (ILM) flap technique. Median baseline BCVA was 0.79 logMAR (Snellen’s equivalent 20/120) and median final BCVA 0.6 logMAR (Snellen’s equivalent 20/80) with mean visual improvement of approximately three lines improvement. No complications related to surgical procedure were noted.CONCLUSIONThe inverted internal limiting membrane flap technique may be promising for very large macular holes with high rate of macular closure and good visual outcome.

Internal limiting membrane flap technique in macular hole surgery

Vitrectomy combined with internal limiting membrane(ILM)peeling is popular for the treatment of macular hole(MH).However,the improvements of MH closure rate and postoperative visual acuity are not satisfactory especially in large and refractory MHs.Currently,the ILM flap technique has gradually been applied for the treatment of MH and achieved high MH closure rate.The ILM flap technique has many variations,including the difference of the size,shape,number,and manner in which the flaps put on the MHs.The ILM flap technique also has some auxiliary means including perfluoro-n-octane(PFO),dye,autologous blood and adhesive viscoelastics.There is controversy about the effects between several technique variations of ILM flap,and it needs to be explored in the future.

Comparison of anatomical and functional outcomes of different surgical techniques in myopic macular hole without retinal detachment

AIM:To define the anatomic and functional outcomes of pars plana vitrectomy(PPV)with internal limiting membrane(ILM)peeling,inverted ILM flap and free ILM patch graft technique for the treatment of myopic macular hole(MH)without retinal detachment.METHODS:Sixty-four eyes of 64 patients who underwent PPV for myopic MH were included.Group 1 consists of patients underwent ILM peeling(n=26),and Groups 2 and 3 consists of patient underwent free ILM patch graft(n=20)and inverted ILM flap procedure(n=18)respectively.Outcomes following surgery were MH closure and best corrected visual acuity(BCVA)in logMAR at 6mo.RESULTS:Closure of MH was obtained in 20 eyes(76.9%)of the Group 1,in 16 eyes(80%)of the Group 2 and in 16 eyes(88.9%)of the Group 3.The mean preoperative and postoperative BCVA was 1.60±0.53 logMAR and 1.27±0.58 logMAR,respectively(P<0.05).There was no significant difference in the postoperative BCVA and anatomical closure rates in the three groups.Although the anatomical closure rate did not differ significantly in the groups,closure of MH tended to be better in the inverted ILM flap technique group at 6mo.CONCLUSION:Different surgical techniques may provide favorable visual and anatomical results for myopic MH surgery.ILM flap techniques offer higher closure rates compared to ILM peeling technique.However,in terms of visual outcomes,the study reveals no difference in three surgical techniques.

Inverted Internal Limiting Membrane Flap Technique for Repair of Large Macular Holes： A Short-term Follow-up of Anatomical and Functional Outcomes

Background：Inverted internal limiting membrane （ILM） flap technique has recently been reported in a limited number of studies as an effective surgical technique for the management of large macular holes （MHs） with fair MH closure rates as well as gains in visual acuity.In the current study,longitudinal changes in multi-focal electroretinogram （mfERG） responses,best-corrected visual acuity （BCVA） and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography （SD-OCT） were evaluated in eyes with large MHs managed by this technique.Methods：A prospective noncontrolled interventional study of eight patients （eight eyes） with large MHs （minimum diameter 〉400 μm） was conducted.All MHs were treated with pars plana vitrectomy and indocyanine green-assisted inverted ILM flap technique.SD-OCT images were used to assess the anatomical outcomes of surgery while BCVA and mfERG were used to evaluate the functional outcomes during a 3-month follow-up.Results：All patients underwent successful intended manipulation and translocation of the ILM flap without flap dislocation and achieved complete anatomical closure.Partial microstructural reconstruction,demonstrated on SD-OCT as restoration of the external limiting membrane and the ellipsoid zone,was observed in all cases as early as 1 month after surgery.Functionally,as compared to baseline,all patients showed improvements in BCVA and all but one in mfERG response during follow-up.However,Pearson＇s test revealed no significant correlations between BCVA and mfERG responses of the fovea and of the macular area at each evaluation time point.Conclusions：Inverted ILM flap technique appeares to be a safe and effective approach for the management of large idiopathic MHs with favorable short-term anatomical and functional results.Postoperative reconstruction of the microstructure generally shows good consistency with improvements in both BCVA and mfERG response,of which the latter might be a supplement for the former in postoperative functional follow-up.