EN-FACE IMAGING OF ATYPICAL EPIRETINAL TISSUE IN LAMELLAR MACULAR HOLE

Purpose: To elucidate the significance of en-face optical coherence tomography imaging of atypical epiretinal tissue (AET) in the lamellar macular hole (LMH). Methods: This study involved 29 eyes of 29 patients who underwent surgical treatment for LMH with AET. Best-corrected visual acuity, metamorphopsia assessment (M-score), and optical coherence tomography were evaluated before and 6 months after surgery. The novel en-face optical coherence tomography parameters, such as the area of AET and hyperreflective fringe, were correlated with clinical factors before and after LMH surgery. Results: Preoperatively, hyperreflective fringe was noted in 25 (86.2%) patients. The splitting of the inner retina, disruption of the ellipsoid zone, the extent of foveal cavitation, symptom duration, and change in best-corrected visual acuity were correlated with the area of AET (all P< 0.05). Multivariate regression analysis revealed that a larger area of AET was associated with longer symptom duration and less improvement in postoperative vision (all P< 0.05). Conclusion: The area of AET may represent the chronicity of LMH and is significantly associated with visual outcomes after LMH surgery. This novel en-face optical coherence tomography parameter can be used as a predictive factor for surgical outcomes in LMH with AET.