IMAGING RHEGMATOGENOUS RETINAL LESIONS AND PERIPHERAL VITREORETINAL INTERFACE WITH WIDEFIELD OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY.

PURPOSE

Analyze the peripheral vitreoretinal interface with widefield optical coherence tomography.

METHODS

Retrospective chart analysis and widefield optical coherence tomography in 120 consecutive cases of rhegmatogenous pathology.

RESULTS

There were 166 lesions in 120 eyes, including 106 horseshoe tears, 22 operculated holes, 30 nonoperculated holes, six giant tears, and two peripheral lamellar defects followed for 6.1 ± 1.2 months. Posterior vitreous detachment was present in all eyes (101/101, 100%) with tears and operculated holes, but only in 5/19 eyes (26.3%) with nonoperculated holes ( P < 0.001). Axial vitreous traction was evident at the anterior edge of horseshoe tears (106/106, 100%), but not the posterior border (18/106, 17%, P < 0.001). Operculated holes located posterior to the vitreous base were free from vitreous traction, displaying a morphology similar to the macular hole. Nonoperculated holes were farther anterior with signs of tangential traction in 23/30 (76.7%) cases. Peripheral vitreoschisis was more often associated with nonoperculated holes (25/30, 83.3%), than horseshoe tears (17/106, 16%; P < 0.001). Horseshoe tears and nonoperculated holes were more often associated with retinal detachment (58/106 [54.7%] and 15/30 [50%], respectively) than operculated holes (5/22, 22.7%), P = 0.023.

CONCLUSION

Peripheral vitreoretinal interactions are similar to vitreomaculopathies, with axial and vitreoschisis-related tangential traction playing different roles in different rhegmatogenous pathologies. Peripheral optical coherence tomography improves understanding of pathophysiology and risks of retinal detachment.