Retinal Morphologic Features in Patients with Large Macular Holes Treated by Autologous Neurosensory Retinal Transplantation

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the time courses of morphologic changes in the transplanted grafts, including the retinal layer, the ellipsoid zone (EZ) and the visual acuity (VA) after autologous retinal transplantation (ART) in patients with primary large macular holes (MHs).

Design: Single-center, retrospective cohort study.

Subjects: The study included 17 eyes of 17 patients who had undergone ART. All patients fulfilled the following criteria: (1) MH was the only disease-causing anatomic abnormality of the macula; (2) they could be followed up for at least 12 months after ART surgery; (3) they had no other systemic disorders; and (4) the MH was > 400 μm in diameter.

Methods: Data of all patients who underwent assessment of the VA and spectral-domain (SD)-OCT at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after surgery were analyzed. The morphologic features of the graft and the EZ were measured by SD-OCT.

Main outcome measures: Changes in the morphologic features of the graft (graft thickness, overall graft area, graft length, area of outer retina, and EZ) and VA over 1 year after surgery.

Results: Closure of the MH was achieved in all patients. The VA was 0.59 ± 0.27 (logarithm of the minimal angle of resolution units) at 1-year postsurgery compared with 0.84 ± 0.22 before surgery (P < 0.05). The retinal layers gradually became smoothly connected. Although a decrease in graft thickness and overall graft area was observed, the length and area of the outer retina were maintained throughout the follow-up period. The presence of the EZ was observed in 9 patients (52.9%) and our analyses revealed significantly greater improvement of VA in these patients than in those without the EZ (P < 0.05). Moreover, the incidence of macular edema (ME) was higher in the group without the EZ (P = 0.04; chi-square test).

Conclusion: Patients showed significant improvements of the VA. Morphologically, the layers were gradually connected to each other, and the outer retina was particularly maintained. Especially, patients in whom an EZ was restored in the graft showed a low prevalence of ME and greater improvement of the VA.

Financial disclosure(s): The author(s) have no proprietary or commercial interest in any materials discussed in this article.

Keywords: Autologous retinal transplantation; Ellipsoid zone; Macular edema; Macular hole.