REABSORPTION OF ACQUIRED VITELLIFORM LESIONS IN VITREOMACULAR DISORDERS AFTER VITRECTOMY.

PURPOSE

To describe cases of reabsorption of subretinal acquired vitelliform material (acquired vitelliform lesion [AVL]) associated with vitreomacular disorders after 25-gauge pars plana vitrectomy and peeling of internal limiting membrane.

METHODS

Data of consecutive patients who underwent 25-gauge transconjunctival pars plana vitrectomy for vitreomacular disorders at the Department of Ophthalmology of the University Hospital of Brussels (Belgium) were collected. Patients featuring AVL on fundus examination or on spectral domain optical coherence tomography were recruited. Patients were followed up for 12 months after surgery.

RESULTS

Four eyes of three consecutive white patients presenting AVL were included. Three cases were affected by macular pucker, whereas one case featured vitreomacular traction syndrome. Progressive flattening of the AVL after surgery was observed in three eyes of three patients. One eye did not show any resorption of the submacular accumulation. In two eyes, atrophy of the retinal pigment epithelium and the outer retinal layers was observed along with resolution of the AVL, with significant worsening of visual acuity postoperatively.

CONCLUSION

The outcome of surgery in cases of submacular AVL associated with vitreomacular interface syndromes could be heterogeneous and may depend on the duration of the disease and baseline optical coherence tomography characteristics of the lipofuscin accumulation.