J Korean Ophthalmol Soc.  2009 Nov;50(11):1657-1660.

Remained Macular Edema After Surgical Treatment in Patients With Epiretinal Membrane

• Jang SY
• Choi KS
• Lee SJ

Abstract

PURPOSE
To investigate the clinical features of patients with macular edema persisting for three months after a successful vitrectomy and removal of the epiretinal membrane.
METHODS
The authors retrospectively reviewed the records of 32 patients (32 eyes) with epiretinal membranes who underwent pars plana vitrectomies and membranectomies from January 2005 to September 2008. The patients selected for the study underwent optical coherence tomography (OCT) which revealed macular edema. Macular edema is defined as central macular thickness measuring over 300 m. Several factors including age, presence of systemic disorders, preoperative visual acuity, surgical technique, preoperative state of the macula, and the response to treatment for macular edema were reviewed.
RESULTS
Eight out of 32 eyes (25%) had no improvement of visual acuity after surgery of the epiretinal membrane. Six out of 32 eyes (18.75%) persisted in their macular edema. No common features were detected. All patients showed no improvement of visual acuity after their vitrectomies. Two of the eyes were treated with intravitreal or subtenon triamcinolone injection or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory eye drops. Only one eye (16.7%) achieved visual improvement as of the last follow-up.
CONCLUSIONS
Despite a successful vitrectomy and membranectomy, macular edema can remain without any specific cause. Persistantmacular edema appears to be a main cause of poor visual outcome and tends to resist conventional treatment.

Keyword

Epiretinal membrane; Membranectomy; Remained macular edema; Triamcinolone injection

MeSH Terms

Edema
Epiretinal Membrane
Eye
Humans
Macular Edema
Ophthalmic Solutions
Retrospective Studies
Tomography, Optical Coherence
Triamcinolone
Visual Acuity
Vitrectomy
Ophthalmic Solutions
Triamcinolone

Figure

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  Figure 1. OCT images of No.6 patient shows that the macular edema aggravated after surgical treatment. (A) Preoperative OCT image, central macular thickness was about 565 µm. (B) Postoperative OCT image at 3 months after surgery revealed that the macular thickness was measured about 655 µm.

Reference

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