Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 4, 2026
Retinal Pigment Epithelium Transplantation in a Non-human Primate Model for Degenerative Retinal Diseases
Published on: June 14, 2021
Re-operation of idiopathic full-thickness macular holes after initial surgery with internal limiting membrane peel
Mark J J D'Souza1, Varun Chaudhary, Robert Devenyi
1Department of Family Medicine, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.
Background/Aims:
A retrospective consecutive case series to evaluate the efficacy of re-operation in patients with persistent or recurrent idiopathic full-thickness macular hole after initial surgery with internal limiting membrane peel (ILM).
Methods:
491 patients underwent surgery for full-thickness macular hole from January 2004 to November 2007. Fifty-five patients either did not close or reopened during the follow-up period. Thirty patients with initial ILM peel underwent repeat surgery involving vitrectomy, enlargement of ILM rhexis and gas tamponade.
Results:
Anatomical closure rate was 88.8% for primary surgery and 46.7% (14/30) for re-operation. There was a statistically significant improvement in overall best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) from re-operation baseline BCVA (p=0.02) within 1 year. For holes that did not close after the second surgery, visual acuity did not worsen.
Conclusion:
Re-operation has a reduced success rate of anatomical closure. However, BCVA is statistically significantly improved from re-operation baseline, so even though we cannot return vision to pre-pathological baseline, re-operation can improve on this new baseline.
