Risk factors for failure of resolving optic disc pit maculopathy after primary vitrectomy without laser photocoagulation

Purpose: To determine factors significantly correlated with the failure of macular reattachment by pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) without laser photocoagulation of the optic disc margin to treat optic disc pit (ODP) maculopathy.

Design: Retrospective, interventional case series.

Methods: We reviewed the medical records of 35 consecutive patients with ODP maculopathy who underwent PPV without laser photocoagulation. PPV with the creation of a posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) was performed in 34 eyes. An epiretinal membrane and internal limiting membrane present in the other eye with a PVD were removed. Patients were followed for 12-193 months (mean 58 months) after surgery. The main outcome measures were the postoperative rate of retinal reattachment and best-corrected visual acuity. The preoperative clinical characteristics of the successful cases were compared to those of the unsuccessful cases.

Results: A complete retinal reattachment was attained in 31 of 35 eyes and it required about one year. The 4 other eyes that did not achieve a macular reattachment after the primary PPV underwent additional therapies. The factors that were significantly associated with a failure of a retinal reattachment after primary PPV were the presence of a retinal detachment connected to the optic disc (P < 0.001) and the presence of preoperative headaches (P = 0.030).

Conclusions: Clinicians should be aware that the presence of a preoperative macular detachment connected to the optic disc margin and preoperative headaches are indicators for an unsuccessful outcome of PPV without laser photocoagulation in eyes with ODP maculopathy.