‘Trickier’ OCTs for pediatric epiretinal membrane still drive better surgical outcomes
WAIKOLOA, Hawaii — While the assessment of pediatric epiretinal membrane in OCT imaging are “trickier” than in adults, they still provide useful data to drive better surgical planning and outcomes, according to a speaker here.
Lejla Vajzovic, MD, FASRS, an ophthalmologist and vitreoretinal surgeon at Duke Ophthalmology, gave a presentation on treating pediatric epiretinal membranes at Retina 2022.
“Pediatric epiretinal membranes are rare,” Vajzovic said. “They often present in younger patients after trauma from various ocular disorders.”
Vajzovic noted the bigger question is if an epiretinal membrane is visually significant enough to operate on.
Using OCT imaging to assess pediatric epiretinal membranes is “trickier” with pediatric patients than adults, but OCT is useful in providing a better assessment and improving surgical outcomes, she said.
“Overall, approaches depend on presentation and visual acuity,” she said.
Pediatric membranes are associated with more vessel dragging, and less external limiting membrane and inner segment visibility than in adults, she said.
“What we have found comparing the pre- and post-OCT, similarly, like in adults, we found that retinal structure very much predicts postoperative visual acuity outcomes,” she said.
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Vajzovic L. Pediatric epiretinal membranes: Differential diagnosis and management. Presented at: Retina 2022; Jan. 15-21, 2022; Waikoloa, Hawaii.
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