Foveal Avascular Zone Area Changes and OCT Angiography after Pars plana vitrectomy for Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment Repair

Author: Miroslav Stamenkovic (Serbia)

Co-authors: Biljana Vukdinovic, Aleksandra Popovic, Jovan Milic, Aleksandar Jevtic, Marko Popovic, Sanja Radojevic

Purpose

To investigate foveal avascular zone (FAZ) area after surgery in patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) that involved the macula, and to evaluate the correlation between FAZ area and visual outcomes using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA), in post–vitrectomized (PPV) eyes.

Setting/Venue

Eye Clinic. University Medical Center Zvezdara Belgrade

Methods

This retrospective case-control study included 18 eyes (18 patients) with recent onset macula–off RRD that were successfully repaired with a pars plana vitrectomy with gas, as uncomplicated surgical procedure. The changes of FAZ were examined by OCTA after surgery. The FAZ area was investigated with OCT angiography in the superficial capillary plexus and deep capillary plexus. The unaffected fellow eye was used as a control group.

Results

Reduction in sperficial FAZ area size were significantly in the macula-off group (superficial: 102.312 ± 78.108 μm) following surgery. Reduction in the deep FAZ area was also markedly in the macula-off group(91.737 ± 79.177 μm).

Conlusions

Reduction in the FAZ area size after successful surgical repair in macula-off RRD eyes may indicate that there is more ischemic damage to retinal capillary plexus in fovea. The results of our study may be the result of changes in the physiology of the vitrectomized eye. More additional studies is needed to elucidate changes occurring in macular microvasculature in retinal detachment, as well as changes in the foveal avascular zone that accompany pars plana vitrectomy.

Financial Disclosure

Authors declare no financial interest

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