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Updated: Jul 12, 2025
Application of Optical Coherence Tomography to a Mouse Model of Retinopathy
Published on: January 12, 2022
IMAGING RHEGMATOGENOUS RETINAL LESIONS AND PERIPHERAL VITREORETINAL INTERFACE WITH WIDEFIELD OPTICAL COHERENCE
Andrea Govetto1, J Sebag2,3,4, Sara Lucchini1,2,3,4,5
1Department of Ophthalmology, VR Division, Circolo and Macchi Foundation Hospital, ASST-Settelaghi, Varese, Italy.
Purpose:
Analyze the peripheral vitreoretinal interface with widefield optical coherence tomography.
Methods:
Retrospective chart analysis and widefield optical coherence tomography in 120 consecutive cases of rhegmatogenous pathology.
Results:
There were 166 lesions in 120 eyes, including 106 horseshoe tears, 22 operculated holes, 30 nonoperculated holes, six giant tears, and two peripheral lamellar defects followed for 6.1 ± 1.2 months. Posterior vitreous detachment was present in all eyes (101/101, 100%) with tears and operculated holes, but only in 5/19 eyes (26.3%) with nonoperculated holes ( P < 0.001). Axial vitreous traction was evident at the anterior edge of horseshoe tears (106/106, 100%), but not the posterior border (18/106, 17%, P < 0.001). Operculated holes located posterior to the vitreous base were free from vitreous traction, displaying a morphology similar to the macular hole. Nonoperculated holes were farther anterior with signs of tangential traction in 23/30 (76.7%) cases. Peripheral vitreoschisis was more often associated with nonoperculated holes (25/30, 83.3%), than horseshoe tears (17/106, 16%; P < 0.001). Horseshoe tears and nonoperculated holes were more often associated with retinal detachment (58/106 [54.7%] and 15/30 [50%], respectively) than operculated holes (5/22, 22.7%), P = 0.023.
Conclusion:
Peripheral vitreoretinal interactions are similar to vitreomaculopathies, with axial and vitreoschisis-related tangential traction playing different roles in different rhegmatogenous pathologies. Peripheral optical coherence tomography improves understanding of pathophysiology and risks of retinal detachment.
