Optic coherence tomography features of subretinal vitreous substitutes

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Medical Imaging
• Retinal Surgery

Background:

• Retained subretinal vitreous substitutes (VS) can complicate retinal surgeries.
• Accurate identification of VS is crucial for patient management.
• Spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) is a key imaging modality in ophthalmology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the SD-OCT characteristics of subretinal silicon oil (SO), perfluoro-n-octane (PFO), and C3F8 gas.
• To identify unique SD-OCT features that differentiate between various subretinal VS.
• To enhance the diagnostic capabilities of SD-OCT in cases of retained subretinal VS.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective selection of patients with retained subretinal VS.
• Collection of demographic data.
• Detailed analysis of SD-OCT features for each type of VS.

Main Results:

• Subretinal PFO showed hyper-reflectivity under the bubble (61.5%), choroidal shadow at borders (84.6%), halo (38.4%), and apical dot (61.5%).
• Subretinal SO exhibited hyper-reflectivity under the bubble, halo, and apical dot, but lacked choroidal shadow and complete septa.
• Subretinal C3F8 gas presented with round bases, incomplete septa, hyper-reflectivity, choroidal shadow, halo, and apical dot.

Conclusions:

• Subretinal VS share common SD-OCT features.
• Round-based bubbles are exclusively observed with subretinal C3F8 gas.
• Incomplete septa are associated with retained subretinal SO or gas.