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Novel macular hole surgery proves comparable to standard procedure
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A novel method for treating macular holes that involves mechanically joining the edges of the hole yielded anatomical and functional results comparable to a standard surgery, according to a study by researchers in Russia.
Sergey Alpatov, MD, and colleagues in Irkutsk reviewed outcomes for 25 eyes of 25 patients treated with the procedure for stage 3 or 4 idiopathic macular holes. Surgeons performed standard pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) with internal limiting membrane (ILM) "maculorhexis" and then used forceps to join the edges of the macular hole, according to the study.
The researchers retrospectively compared outcomes for these 25 patients with 27 eyes of 27 patients with similar holes treated with standard three-port PPV and ILM peeling. They found a 92% closure rate among patients treated with the new technique vs. 86% for the control group.
Best corrected visual acuity improved from 0.1 to 0.29 at 6 months postop for patients treated with the new closure technique, while BCVA improved from 0.1 to 0.22 among control patients, the authors reported.
Retinal pigment epitheliopathy developed in 18 eyes (72%) in the study group, they noted.
The study is published in the March/April issue of the European Journal of Ophthalmology.