Enhanced vitreous imaging optical coherence tomography in primary macular holes

The aim of the current pilot study is to investigate the efficacy of a novel enhanced vitreous imaging (EVI) in primary macular holes (MHs) using a spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). Thirty-four eyes of 32 consecutive patients with a MH were examined in one time cross-sectional study. The vitreomacular interface was assessed using SD-OCT with conventional and EVI technique. Twenty-three of the 34 eyes did not show a Weiss ring, and in 22 of those, we observed a MH with an open roof or operculum and a detached posterior vitreous cortex with conventional vitreous imaging. Using EVI-OCT, we visualized the reflection of the posterior vitreous with a vitreopapillary attachment. One of the 23 eyes without a Weiss ring had a central round retinal defect without an operculum, and the conventional SD-OCT showed an empty vitreous, suggesting a complete posterior vitreous detachment. However, the EVI-OCT revealed the reflection of the posterior vitreous, and the cortex appeared to still be completely attached. In all the 23 eyes without a Weiss ring, EVI-OCT detected the reflection of the posterior vitreous and vitreopapillary attachment. In all 11 eyes with a Weiss ring (stage 4 hole), EVI-OCT showed an optically empty space in the posterior vitreous cavity without a vitreopapillary attachment. EVI-OCT may be a new reliable method for preoperative evaluations to determine the presence or absence of a complete posterior vitreous detachment in macular diseases with an indistinct Weiss ring.