Examination of vitreomacular traction syndrome

Vitreomacular traction syndrome is a complication of partial posterior vitreous detachment: vitreous is separated from the retina throughout the peripheral fundus but remains adherent posteriorly with anteroposterior traction on the macular area and the optic nerve. The functional and anatomical examinations of this condition are based on the following triad: clinical examination, angiography, and OCT.     

玻璃体黄斑牵引综合征的手术疗效探讨

目的探讨玻璃体黄斑牵引综合征患者行玻璃体手术治疗的临床效果。方法对1998年7月至2002年1月连续住院行玻璃体手术治疗的16例(16只眼)玻璃体黄斑牵引综合征患者的临床资料进行回顾性分析。结果16例患者均经手术解除玻璃体对黄斑部的牵引,术后3例失访,13例随访资料完整。术后10只眼视力提高,2只眼视力无改善,1只眼视力减退。其中视力≥0．1者由术前的6只眼增至术后的8只眼;术前视力≤0．02者有5只眼,术后视力均有不同程度的提高。2只眼术中发生黄斑裂孔,1只眼术后白内障形成,1只眼术后3个月发现黄斑板层裂孔,1只眼术后3个月出现黄斑皱褶。结论玻璃体手术能够有效解除玻璃体对黄斑部的牵引,阻止患者视力进一步下降,并提高部分患者的视力。（中华眼科杂志,2004,40：670-673)     

Ultrastructural studies of vitreomacular traction syndrome

We performed electron microscopic studies on seven specimens removed from the posterior retina at the time of vitrectomy for vitreomacular traction syndrome. Fibrous astrocytes were the predominant cell type in all cases. Fibrocytes were present in two cases and myofibrocytes were seen in three cases. Additional cellular and extracellular features included fragments of internal limiting membrane in six cases, old collagen in all cases, new collagen in one case, occasional macrophages in four cases, and fibrous astrocytes with myofibroblastic differentiation in one case.     

玻璃体黄斑牵引综合征的手术治疗

目的 :探讨玻璃体手术治疗黄斑牵引综合征的方法、疗效。方法 :经裂隙灯前置镜、接触镜 ,荧光素眼底血管造影或光学相干断层成像术确诊的玻璃体黄斑牵引综合征共 16例 (16只眼 ) ,采用标准三切口玻璃体切除术切除患眼玻璃体后皮质 ,解除玻璃体视网膜牵引。结果 :16例患眼黄斑区牵引全部解除 ,经 3～ 15个月随访无复发 ;所有视力都有提高 ,术中术后未发现明显并发症。结论 :玻璃体手术是治疗玻璃体黄斑牵引综合征的有效方法。     

Epiretinal pathology of vitreomacular traction syndrome

AIMS: To investigate the ultrastructure of the vitreoretinal interface in patients with vitreomacular traction syndrome. METHODS: 14 patients with vitreomacular traction syndrome underwent standard pars plana vitrectomy. After induction of posterior vitreous detachment, epiretinal tissue and the inner limiting membrane (ILM) of the retina were removed, and processed for transmission electron microscopy. RESULTS: Ultrastructural analysis revealed two basic patterns of vitreoretinal pathology in eyes with vitreomacular traction syndrome. Seven specimens showed mostly single cells or a cellular monolayer covering closely the vitreal side of the ILM, not resulting in a biomicroscopically detectable epiretinal fibrocellular proliferation. The other seven specimens revealed premacular fibrocellular tissue which was separated from the ILM by a layer of native collagen, resembling the clinical features of idiopathic epiretinal membranes. In both groups of eyes, the myofibroblast was the predominant cell type. Fibrous astrocytes and fibrocytes were less frequent. Retinal pigment epithelial cells and macrophages were absent. Deposits of newly formed collagen were present only adjacent to fibrocellular multilayers. CONCLUSIONS: There are two distinct clinicopathological features of vitreomacular traction syndrome which suggest different forms of epiretinal fibrocellular proliferation: (1) epiretinal membranes interposed in native vitreous collagen and (2) single cells or a cellular monolayer proliferating directly on the ILM. The presence of remnants of the cortical vitreous which remain attached to the ILM following posterior vitreous separation may determine the clinicopathological feature of the disease. The predominance of myofibroblasts may help to explain the high prevalence of cystoid macular oedema and progressive vitreomacular traction characteristic for this disorder.     

玻璃体手术治疗玻璃体黄斑牵引综合征

目的:探讨玻璃体手术治疗玻璃体黄斑牵引综合征疗效。方法:手术前后经光学相干断层扫描(optical co-herence tomography, OCT)、多焦视网膜电图(multifocal electroretinography,m ERG)、荧光素眼底血管造影(funds fluorescein angiography,FFA)等检查确诊为玻璃体黄斑牵引综合征患者12例12眼。采用标准三切口玻璃体切除手术。切除已脱离玻璃体后皮质,松解玻璃体视网膜牵引。结果:黄斑部牵引解除12眼,视力提高2行以上9眼。手术后未见明显并发症。结论:玻璃体手术是治疗玻璃体黄斑牵引综合征的有效方法。     

Visual and morphological outcomes of vitreomacular traction syndrome in retinitis pigmentosa treated by vitrectomy

Retrospective review of 13 eyes that had undergone pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) for vitreomacular traction (VMT) syndrome in retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and had a postoperative follow-up period ≥9mo in order to evaluate whether it is necessary to treat VMT in RP by vitrectomy. The 13 RP eyes suffering from VMT were evaluated by means of best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), anterior and posterior binocular examination, spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) before and after operation. We detected that although vitrectomy could improve the macular morphology in some RP patients with VMT, visual outcomes might be limited and unpredicted most likely because of the long-standing retinal dysfunction, but the vitrectomy is necessary in order to remain or improve the central vision in some cases.     

Long-term study of vitreomacular traction syndrome: Optical coherence tomographic patterns and surgical results

PurposeTo investigate the optical coherence tomographic (OCT) patterns and long-term surgical outcomes of patients with vitreomacular traction syndrome (VMT).MethodsFrom May 2002 to April 2008, patients with OCT-confirmed VMT who underwent vitrectomy were retrospectively reviewed. Complete pre- and postoperative ophthalmic and OCT examinations were recorded. All cases were followed for at least 2 years. The OCT patterns of VMT were classified into two groups: Group 1, V-shaped macular traction (1A: without macular detachment, 1B: with macular detachment); Group 2, U-shaped macular traction (2A: without macular detachment, 2B: with macular detachment). Multiple linear regression analysis of selective factors was performed to investigate the main determinants of visual improvement.ResultsTwenty-five eyes of 25 consecutive patients were enrolled (8 in 1A, 6 in 1B, 6 in 2A, 5 in 2B). One patient in 2A progressed to 2B within 4 months. After surgery, 18 patients regained normal foveal contour accompanied by visual improvement; three patients had persistent cystoid macular edema throughout the follow-up period and a worsened visual acuity; the other four had an unchanged visual status despite improved foveal configuration. The mean ± standard deviation thickness in the central macular area was 632.0 ± 228.3 μm preoperatively and347.1 ± 126.1 μm postoperatively (p < 0.001). Multiple lineal regression analysis revealed that U-shape VMT (p = 0.005), preoperative foveal detachment (p = 0.011) and preoperative visual acuity (p = 0.035) might correlate with final vision.ConclusionOCT may detect two major configurations of VMT. Vitrectomy is an effective treatment, but U-shaped macular traction, preoperative foveal detachment and poor preoperative vision show unfavorable visual prognosis.     

玻璃体黄斑牵引综合征的临床及光相干断层 扫描图像特征

目的观察玻璃体黄斑牵引综合征的光相干断层扫描（OCT）图像特征及临床意义。方法回顾分析经OCT、荧光素眼底血管造影及B型超声检查确诊并经手术证实的25例玻璃体黄斑牵引综合征患者的临床资料，观察玻璃体黄斑牵引综合征的OCT图像特征。结果玻璃体黄斑牵引综合征的OCT图像主要表现为玻璃体反射光带牵拉视网膜，25例大致可分为5种特征，其中，玻璃体黄斑牵引综合征合并黄斑囊样水肿10例，玻璃体黄斑牵引综合征合并视网膜脱离5例，玻璃体黄斑牵引综合征合并黄斑裂孔3例，玻璃体黄斑牵引综合征合并黄斑视网膜前膜6例，玻璃体黄斑牵引综合征合并黄斑劈裂1例。结论玻璃体黄斑牵引综合征的OCT图像主要表现为玻璃体反射光带牵拉视网膜；OCT检查对玻璃体黄斑牵引综合征的诊断及追踪病情发展有重要作用。(中华眼底病杂志,2005,21:86-89)     

Acute vitreomacular traction syndrome after uneventful phacoemulsification

We prospectively evaluated 59 eyes following uneventful phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implantation with optic coherence tomography at one and seven postoperative days (POD). Acute vitreomacular traction was observed in two eyes (3.3%) at the first POD. Spontaneous resolution occurred in both eyes within one week. The temporary visual loss associated with acute vitreomacular traction syndrome may go unnoticed as visual acuity rapidly improves.     

玻璃体黄斑牵引综合征的手术疗效观察

目的 探讨玻璃体手术治疗玻璃体黄斑牵引综合征的临床效果及光相干断层扫描、荧光素眼底造影对手术疗效的评价.方法 经裂隙灯前置镜、间接眼底镜检查、B超、光相干断层扫描(OCT)、荧光素眼底血管造影(FFA)等检查确诊为玻璃体黄斑牵引综合征行玻璃体手术的患者30例(30只眼)的临床资料进行回顾性分析.结果 30只眼经手术解除玻璃体对黄斑部的牵引.术后20只眼视力提高.术后黄斑区牵引处OCT测量高度平均减小267μm,有明显改善.术前荧光素眼底血管造影检查存在黄斑囊样水肿伴渗漏,术后明显减轻.术前合并高度近视眼者视力预后不佳.结论 玻璃体手术能够有效解除玻璃体对黄斑部的牵引,阻止患者视力进一步下降,减轻黄斑水肿及渗漏,是治疗玻璃体黄斑牵引综合征的有效方法.光相干断层扫描及荧光素眼底造影检查可以对手术疗效进行评价,有利于术后随访.

Abstract：

Objective To evaluate the efficacy of vitreous surgery for patients with vitreomacular traction syndrome. Methods Of 30 patients (30 eyes) who underwent vitrectomy for vitreomacular traction syndrome were retrospectively analyzed. Results Vitreomacular traction was released successfully, and a better visual acuity was obtained in 20 eyes. Mean macular thickness decreased by 267μ m postoperatively. The eyes showed statistically significant improvement in visual acuity and central macular thickness (P <0.05). Optical coherence tomography (OCT) and fluorescein fundus angiography (FFA) showed macular edema gradually alleviated after vitreous surgery. Preoperative high myopia was associated with prognosis of postoperative visual acuity (P<0.05). Conclusions Vitrectomy can relieve macular traction, and is effective for decreasing macular thickness and improvement of vision in vitreomacular traction syndrome. OCT and FFA are useful for evaluation and follow-up for vitreomacular traction syndrome.     

Vitrectomy for macular pucker and vitreomacular traction syndrome

During the course of a so-called posterior vitreous detachment, a thin layer of the posterior vitreous cortex often remains adherent to the underlying retina. Tangential stretch of this vitreous pseudomembrane may cause vitreomacular traction syndrome, edema, and macular hole formation. The same process appears to underlie the development of true epimacular membranes (idiopathic macular pucker). Vitrectomy is generally agreed to be the most appropriate treatment for these clinical situations. We evaluated the incidence of vitreomacular adhesion and of visual improvement after vitrectomy of eyes with macular pucker (group 1; n=60) and vitreomacular traction syndrome (group 2; n=50). Vitreomacular attachment was assessed during vitrectomy under the condition of continuous air infusion. In the two groups, complete or partial vitreous attachment to the macula was observed in 57.4% and 74%, respectively. We conclude that vitreomacular adhesion is a common feature of the two clinical situations. Visual improvement was achieved in 73% of both groups. High rates of postoperative visual acuities of 20/50 or better (60.6% in group-1; 65.7% in group-2 cases) occurred only in eyes with preoperative values of 20/100 or better. It is reported that the visual outcome of vitreoretinal surgery for the two clinical conditions deteriorates with increasing duration after initial manifestation. Vitrectomy should not be postponed in patients who complain of disturbing visual symptoms such as reduced visual acuity, metamorphopsia and disturbance of binocular reading. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Idiopathic vitreomacular traction syndrome. Vitrectomy results

PURPOSE: Evaluate the visual results, the complications and the prognosis factors of surgery for idiopathic vitreomacular traction syndrome. METHODS: We retrospectly reviewed 29 consecutive eyes that had undergone pars plana vitrectomy and posterior epiretinal membrane peeling for idiopathic vitreomacular traction syndrome. RESULTS: The mean follow-up after surgery was 17.7 months. Among the 29 cases, 21 were phakic. Visual acuity improved by 2 lignes or more in 72.4% of the cases and the mean improvement was 2.7. Eyes with preoperative visual acuity of 0.25 or more had better postoperative vision than the others (0.42vs0.65;p=0.006). During the follow-up, 10 patients underwent phacoemulsification and posterior chamber implantation (47.6%). The mean visual acuity of these 10 cases was poorer than the mean visual acuity of the 8 pseudophakic patients that underwent vitrectomy (0.45vs0.61;p=0.046). Five recurrences of epiretinal membrane were observed (17.2%). CONCLUSIONS: Surgical treatment of vitreomacular traction syndrome improves visual acuity in most of cases. Further studies with optical coherence tomography are necessary to understand the pathogenic mechanisms of vitreomacular interface syndromes.     

OCT-guided hyaloid release for vitreomacular traction syndrome

PURPOSE: To evaluate the usefulness of OCT retinal mapping in determining the configuration of a vitreomacular adhesion and selecting a meridian for entry into the subhyaloid space in patients with vitreomacular traction syndrome. METHODS: Six consecutive patients (6 eyes) with vitreomacular traction syndrome underwent vitrectomy with peeling of posterior hyaloid. Ocular coherence tomography (OCT) retinal mapping was performed preoperatively. Access to the subhyaloid space was made by creating an opening with a 25 gauge needle at a location where the detached posterior hyaloid membrane was farthest from the retinal surface. The location was selected based on six preoperative meridional OCT scans. The posterior hyaloid was then gently peeled off in a circular fashion around the fovea with a micropick. Visual acuity and foveal thicknesses were measured before the operation and 3 months afterwards. RESULTS: After the operation, visual acuity improved and central macular thicknesses were reduced significantly in all six patients. The best corrected visual acuity improved from 0.4 to 0.75 with a mean increase by 3.5 lines on a Snellen chart 3 months after the operation. The mean foveal thickness was reduced from 406 micrometer to 241 micrometer. The restoration of foveal pit was observed in five patients. Neither intraoperative nor postoperative complications were observed during the follow up period. CONCLUSIONS: An OCT retinal mapping program is a valuable diagnostic tool in understanding the configuration of vitreomacular adhesion and planning the surgical approach for operating on vitreomacular traction syndrome.     

玻璃体黄斑牵引综合征的临床诊疗观察

目的:观察分析玻璃体黄斑牵引综合征的临床特点及治疗效果。方法:对2005-06/2007-02在我院行玻璃体切除术治疗的9例9眼玻璃体黄斑牵引综合征的患者的临床资料进行回顾性分析。结果:9例患者术后7例视力改善;2例患者视力无改善,无视力下降者。光学相干断层扫描(OCT)示术后7d黄斑水肿减轻;术后1mo黄斑水肿明显减轻;术后3mo黄斑水肿完全能消退,黄斑形态恢复正常;术后6mo时,有2例OCT示有黄斑前膜发生,但视力较术前无下降,所有病例均无手术并发症发生。结论:玻璃体切除术治疗玻璃体黄斑牵引综合征疗效显著,OCT在本病的诊断治疗中有重要的指导意义。     

Classifications of vitreomacular traction syndrome: diameter vs morphology

Purpose

The aim of this study is to analyze the agreement between the classifications based on morphology and diameter of vitreomacular traction (VMT) syndrome, as well as to correlate the morphological findings of VMT with specific maculopathies.

Methods

Fifty-three eyes with VMT syndrome were categorized into two classifications based on optical coherence tomography images: the VMT morphology (V- or J-shaped) and the diameter of adhesion (focal≤1500 μm or broad>1500 μm).

Results

High correlation was seen between V-shaped and focal-VMT and between J-shaped and broad-VMT (kappa=0.850; P<0.001), except in four cases with broad adhesion despite the presence of a V-shaped pattern. These four cases had common characteristics to those with broad vitreal attachment regarding associated maculopathies and visual function. V-shaped VMT (n=29) and focal-VMT (n=25) led to tractional cystoid macular edema (CME; 79.31% and 84%, respectively) and macular hole (MH; 37.93% and 44%); J-shaped VMT (n=24) and broad-VMT (n=28) were associated with epiretinal membranes (ERMs; 91.66% and 92.85%, respectively) and diffuse retinal thickening (62.50% and 64.28%). The best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was not significantly different between the groups (BCVA logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution: V-shaped, 0.45; J-shaped, 0.46; P=0.816; and focal, 0.50; broad, 0.42; P=0.198).

Conclusions

Although highly concordant, the classification based on the diameter of the adhesion and not on the classical adhesion morphology seemed to better reflect the specific macular changes. V-shaped and focal VMT led to tractional CME and MH, while J-shaped and broad VMT were associated with ERM and diffuse retinal thickening.