Late reopening of successfully treated macular holes

Most idiopathic macular holes can be closed by a surgical procedure combining vitrectomy, posterior hyaloid ablation, and fluid-gas exchange followed by postoperative positioning. Reopening of closed macular holes has been reported, but its frequency is not known. Here the incidence of reopening after successful macular hole surgery is reported.

77 consecutive cases of idiopathic macular holes operated with autologous platelet injection between July 1993 and October 1995 were reviewed. The procedure consisted of three port vitrectomy, posterior hyaloid removal, nonexpansile fluid-gas exchange, and autologous platelet injection followed by face down positioning. The incidence of reopening was analysed in the cohort of the 72 anatomical successes.

Mean follow up was 12.3 months. The macular hole reopened in five eyes of five patients (five out of 72 patients, 6.9%), in four cases after cataract extraction. In four cases too, an epiretinal membrane was noted, either clinically or during reoperation, and fluorescein leakage in the macular area was present in two cases. Three of the five cases of reopening were reoperated and all three were anatomical successes.

Late macular hole reopening occurred in five out of 72 patient, and in four cases after cataract surgery. The presence of an epiretinal membrane around the hole in four of them suggested that tractional forces were responsible for the reopening. Reoperation, performed in three cases, again closed the macular holes.