[Objective method to recognize warning signs in peripheral vitreoretinal dystrophies].

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Retinal Imaging
• Vitreoretinal Surgery

Background:

• Peripheral vitreoretinal dystrophy (PVRD) presents with various prognostically unfavorable signs.
• Accurate detection of these signs is crucial for timely intervention and management of PVRD.
• Biomicroscopy (BMS) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) are imaging modalities used in retinal examination.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the diagnostic effectiveness of biomicroscopy (BMS) and optical coherence tomography (OCT).
• To evaluate the ability of BMS and OCT in identifying prognostically unfavorable signs in peripheral vitreoretinal dystrophy (PVRD).
• To determine which imaging technique offers superior detection of key PVRD indicators.

Main Methods:

• A comparative analysis was conducted on 131 cases of equatorial PVRD (91 eyes).
• Patients' ages averaged 24.7 years, with a mean anterior-posterior axis length of 25.36±1.12 mm.
• The prevalence of specific warning signs was comparatively analyzed using both BMS and OCT.

Main Results:

• OCT demonstrated superior detection of vitreoretinal traction in lattice degeneration and "snail track" defects compared to BMS.
• For horseshoe retinal tears, OCT identified tight vitreoretinal contact in 11/12 eyes, versus 7/12 with BMS.
• OCT effectively identified vitreoretinal traction in "non-differentiable" PVRD cases where BMS was unsuccessful.

Conclusions:

• Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is significantly more effective than biomicroscopy (BMS) for recognizing prognostically unfavorable signs in PVRD.
• OCT excels in detecting vitreoretinal tractions, retinal defects, and intraretinal cavities associated with PVRD.
• These findings highlight OCT's critical role in the comprehensive assessment and management of PVRD.