Fluid Dynamics and Advanced OCT Biomarkers in Optic Disc Pit Maculopathy: Influence on Visual Outcomes

To characterize sequential pattern of fluid progression in optic disc pit maculopathy (ODP-M), identify threshold values for fluid migration between retinal layers, and determine the prognostic significance of optical coherence tomography (OCT) biomarkers.

Multicenter, retrospective interventional case series.

Forty-two eyes with ODP-M underwent surgical treatment with follow-up ≥12 months (mean 38.5 ± 30.6 months). OCT parameters including intraretinal fluid (IRF) height, foveal detachment (FD), intrapapillary proliferation (IPP), ellipsoid zone (EZ) integrity, and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) disruption were analyzed preoperatively and at 1, 6, 12, and 24 months postoperatively. Visual and anatomical outcomes were evaluated using multivariate regression and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis.

IRF followed a distinct progression pattern, sequentially involving the outer nuclear layer (ONL), inner nuclear layer (INL), and nerve fiber layer (NFL). Resolution after surgery occurred in reverse order (NFL→INL→ONL) with median resolution times of 3, 6, and 12 months, respectively. Surgical success rate after first intervention was 66.7%, with complete final fluid resolution in 72.2% of cases. ROC analysis identified threshold values for ONL→INL progression (152 µm, AUC = 0.84) and for INL→NFL progression (178 µm, AUC = 0.79). In multivariate analysis, independent predictors of final visual acuity included preoperative visual acuity (OR: 4.73, p < .001), absence of FD (OR: 0.31, p = .03), EZ visibility (OR: 0.42, p = .04), and absence of IPP (OR: 0.45, p = .05).

ODP-M demonstrates a predictable pattern of fluid accumulation and resolution, with specific threshold values for fluid progression between retinal layers that may guide intervention timing and preoperative OCT biomarkers providing valuable prognostic information for visual outcomes.