The Associations between macular structure and idiopathic epiretinal membrane formation

Author: Yi-Ting Hsieh (Taiwan)

Co-authors: I-Hsin Ma, Chung-May Yang

Purpose

To measure the anatomical characteristics of the macula in fellow eyes of patients with unilateral idiopathic epiretinal membrane (ERM) and to compare them with normal control.

Setting/Venue

One medical center in Taiwan.

Methods

A total of of 94 fellow eyes with unilateral idiopathic ERM were gathered as the study group, and their age and gender-matched subjects with no vitreomacular diseases were recruited as the control group. Macular structure parameters including foveal base width (FBW), central foveolar thickness (CFT), central subfield thickness (CST), area of foveal avascular zone (FAZ), and retinal artery trajectory (RAT) were measured using optical coherence tomography (OCT) and OCT angiography and were compared between two groups. Macular structure parameters were compared between the two groups. Regression analysis was performed to evaluate factors that affect FBW.

Results

For the study group, the FBW (418.9 ± 68.7 µm) and area of FAZ (0.38 ± 0.12 mm2) were significantly larger than those in the control group (323.2 ± 74.3 µm, 0.31± 0.17 mm2). Their CFT and CST were thinner, and their RAT was wider then those of the control group (p < 0.05 for all). In normal population, females had a wider FBW, a thinner CFT and CST and a wider RAT than males (p < 0.05 for all). Regression analysis showed that female, a thinner CST and a larger FAZ were all correlated with a larger FBW.

Conlusions

Fellow eyes of the unilateral ERM had a larger FBW, a larger FAZ, a thinner CST and a wider RAT than the normal population. This implicates that some centrifugal tractional force may exist on their macula, which eventually may result in the formation of idiopathic ERM. Females had a wider FBW, a thinner CST and a wider RAT than males, which may explain the higher prevalence of idiopathic ERM in females.

Financial Disclosure

No financial relations