VALIDITY AND EFFICACY OF INTERNAL LIMITING MEMBRANE PEELING DURING INITIAL VITRECTOMY FOR RHEGMATOGENOUS RETINAL DETACHMENT: VISUAL OUTCOMES IN MACULA-SPARING CASES.

Purpose: To compare the visual outcomes and prevalence of epiretinal membrane (ERM) growth postoperatively between eyes treated with and without internal limiting membrane peeling during vitrectomy for macula-sparing rhegmatogenous retinal detachment.

Methods: Fifty-five consecutive cases who underwent vitrectomy for macula-sparing rhegmatogenous retinal detachment were reviewed retrospectively. The inclusion criteria were a minimal 6-month follow-up postoperatively and spectral domain optical coherence tomographic images available at follow-up. Cases with any pre-existing macular condition possibly affecting the visual prognosis were excluded. All cases were divided into two groups: 22 cases without internal limiting membrane peeling (Group 1) and 33 cases with internal limiting membrane peeling (Group 2). The two groups were compared using the Mann-Whitney U test and Fisher exact test in terms of the best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) (logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution) before vitrectomy, postoperative BCVA, and the presence of postoperative ERM growth. Postoperative BCVA and ERM growth were determined at 6 months, 12 months, and the last visit. The visual outcomes were also analyzed between cases with and without postoperative symptomatic ERM growth, which caused visual impairment and required surgical removal.

Results: The mean postoperative BCVAs were 0.00, -0.08, and -0.08 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution in Group 1, and -0.08, -0.08, and -0.08 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution in Group 2 at 6 months, 12 months, and the last visit, respectively, and did not differ significantly between the 2 groups at each time point except for at 12 months (P = 0.027). An ERM developed in 14 cases in Group 1, 7 of which were symptomatic. No cases in Group 2 had ERM growth. The prevalence of ERM growth was significantly (P < 0.001) higher in Group 1 than Group 2. The BCVA was significantly worse at 6 months (P = 0.011), 12 months (P = 0.003), and the last visit (P = 0.019) in 7 cases with symptomatic ERMs (median, 0.30, 0.15, and 0.10 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution, respectively) than in 48 cases without symptomatic ERMs (median, -0.08, -0.08, and -0.08 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution, respectively).

Conclusion: Internal limiting membrane peeling did not result in decreased visual acuity postoperatively in cases with a macula-sparing rhegmatogenous retinal detachment, and the procedure significantly prevented postsurgical ERM growth. Symptomatic ERMs led to decreased visual acuity even after surgical removal. These results support the validity and efficacy of internal limiting membrane peeling for preventing ERM growth after rhegmatogenous retinal detachment repair.