[Studies on fibrous and fibro-glial surface wrinkling retinopathy by scanning electron microscopy (author's transl)]

The scanning electron microscope was used to examine 16 cases of epiretinal membrane formation and retinal puckers which occurred in a variety of primary retinal disorders. In this first section the authors describe three types of epiretinal membranes: (1) Fibrous acellular membranes with and without vitreous adhesions. Retinal puckering was caused by vitreous traction with collagen strands binding the residual folds. (2) Fibrous membranes containing isolated glial cells. (3) Fibrous membranes partly covered by sheets of glial cells. In all three forms the acellular fibrous component is believed to represent vitreous cortex remnants. The invariable presence of these fibrous membranes at sites of retinal pucker and their relationship to wrinkled internal limiting membrane suggests that contraction of these membranes is responsible for retinal puckering. Morphological evidence of glial membrane contraction and collagen production by glial cells was not found.