Preoperative study of the inner segment/outer segment junction of photoreceptors by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography as a prognostic factor in patients with epiretinal membranes

• Main Authors: Cobos E, Arias L, Ruiz-Moreno JM, Rubio MJ, Garcia-Bru P, Caminal JM, Catala-Mora J, Arruga J
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dove Medical Press 2013-07-01
• Series: Clinical Ophthalmology
• Online Access: http://www.dovepress.com/preoperative-study-of-the-inner-segmentouter-segment-junction-of-photo-a13711

E Cobos,1 L Arias,1 JM Ruiz-Moreno,2,3 MJ Rubio,1 P Garcia-Bru,1 JM Caminal,1 J Catala,1 J Arruga11Department of Ophthalmology, Bellvitge University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain; 2Department of Ophthalmology, Castilla La Mancha University, Albacete, Spain; 3Alicante Institute of Ophthalmology, VISSUM, Vitreo-Retinal Unit, Alicante, SpainObjective: To demonstrate whether the preoperative integrity of the inner segment/outer segment (IS/OS) junction of photoreceptors studied by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) is a prognostic factor in epiretinal membrane surgery.Methods: We retrospectively studied patients with an idiopathic epiretinal membrane who underwent a 23-gauge vitrectomy to remove this membrane. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and SD-OCT scans were examined before and 6 months after the surgery. We studied the retinal microstructure, especially the IS/OS junction of the photoreceptors, and evaluated the intergroup differences between patients with an intact layer and those with an irregular or disrupted layer. We applied both the Wilcoxon and Mann&ndash;Whitney tests for statistical analysis.Results: In total, 51 eyes from 51 enrolled patients were examined in this study. The postoperative BCVA was significantly better for eyes that had an intact IS/OS junction than for eyes that had an irregular or disrupted IS/OS junction, as preoperatively observed with SD-OCT scans (P < 0.001). We also observed an important association between disrupted IS/OS junctions and the presence of cystic macular edema (P < 0.01).Conclusion: The presence of an intact IS/OS junction on the preoperative SD-OCT scan was an important predictor of better visual recovery after epiretinal membrane surgery. Keywords: epiretinal membrane, photoreceptors, inner segment/outer segment junction, spectral-domain optical coherence tomography