Surgical outcomes in patients with lamellar macular holes selected based on the optical coherence tomography...

The surgical indication for lamellar macular holes (LMH) is controversial due to a misclassification of different macular diseases. A consensus based on an optical coherence tomography (OCT) definition has recently been suggested. The aim of this study was to investigate the surgical outcomes of patients with LMH selected based on this OCT-based consensus definition.

Retrospective review of patients who underwent surgery for LMH with a follow-up of at least 3 months. Anatomical OCT criteria for the diagnosis of LMH were the presence of an irregular foveal contour with foveal cavitation and a loss of retinal tissue. Cases of macular pseudoholes and epiretinal membrane foveoschisis were excluded. Surgery consisted in pars plana vitrectomy with centripetal peri-hole peeling of epiretinal proliferation and internal limiting membrane. Pre- and postoperative visual acuities (VA) were compared, and changes in OCT anatomical features, including the restoration of the foveal profile and outer retinal layers, were assessed.

Eleven eyes of 11 patients were included, of which 9 eyes (81.8%) showed proliferation on preoperative OCT. The mean VA improved from 0.44 ± 0.19 LogMAR (20/55 Snellen equivalent) to 0.16 ± 0.08 LogMAR (20/28 Snellen equivalent), after a mean follow-up of 7.2 ± 2.9 months (P = 0.02). Postoperatively, all eyes showed a restored foveal profile. The mean central foveal thickness increased from 127.6 ± 29.9 μm to 209.0 ± 44.0 μm (P = 0.001). At baseline, ellipsoid zone disruption and external limiting membrane disruption were found in 9 and 7 eyes, respectively. Postoperatively, the ellipsoid zone and external limiting membrane were restored in respectively 6/9 eyes (66.7%) and 5/7 eyes (71.4%). No cases of postoperative full-thickness macular hole were found.

In patients with LMH carefully selected based on the recent OCT-based criteria and showing a loss of retinal tissue, the foveal architecture was restored and the VA was improved after vitrectomy with peri-hole peeling for epiretinal proliferation.