Changes in choroidal thickness after vitrectomy for epiretinal membrane combined with vitreomacular traction

Abstract

Choroidal thickness was greater in ERM eyes with than without VMT possibly due to direct anteroposterior traction on the retina and choroid, increased vascular endothelial growth factor associated with stress on retinal pigment epithelial cells and inflammation. After vitrectomy, mean SFCT reduced in the eyes with VMT, but not in those without VMT.

Analysis of Choroidal Thickness Change after 25-Gauge Vitrectomy for Idiopathic Epiretinal Membrane with or without Phacoemulsification and Intraocular Lens Implantation

“…Kang et al [20] in a recent work showed that, in patients affected by iERM without vitreomacular traction, CT remained unchanged from the baseline to 6 months after surgery. They postulated that ERM alone, which is associated with tangential traction without AP traction, may not affect CT [20] .…”

“…They postulated that ERM alone, which is associated with tangential traction without AP traction, may not affect CT [20] . However, they did not report a baseline comparison with normal fellow eyes but only with eyes affected by iERM and AP traction that showed a significantly higher subfoveal CT.…”

“…However, they did not report a baseline comparison with normal fellow eyes but only with eyes affected by iERM and AP traction that showed a significantly higher subfoveal CT. They hypothesized that the AP traction, and not the ERM, is responsible for increased thickness of the choroid [20] . Histogram of nasal, temporal, superior, and inferior choroidal thickness of the study eyes at 500 and 2,500 μm from the fovea before and 6 months after surgery.…”

“…In a subsequent work, Michalewska et al [19] positively correlated an irregular outer choroidoscleral boundary with a more rapid visual function recovery and CT reduction after surgery for iERM [19] . Kang et al [20] demonstrated that anterior-posterior (AP) traction associated with ERM is responsible for a greater CT than ERM without AP traction. Ahn et al [21] showed a CT decrease after vitreoretinal surgery for iERM and macular hole.…”

Choroidal vascularity index changes after vitreomacular surgery

“…Agrawal et al used the CVI as an effective follow-up tool to show the proportionate change in choroid vasculature as a more stable and consistent biomarker of disease progression (Michalewska et al 2015;Tan & Agrawal 2015;Agrawal et al 2016;Michalewska et al 2016). Although the pathogenesis of the ERM is not completely understood and different hypotheses have been postulated, Kang et al, speculate that vitreomacular traction could induce thickening of the choroid (Kang et al 2016). Additionally, in the VT-group, the CVI decreased gradually by a small quantum between the baseline and 3 months after vitrectomy with ERM removal and ILM peeling (Fig.…”