title: Surgery for epimacular membrane: impact of retinal internal limiting membrane removal on functional outcome.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine eyes that underwent vitrectomy and peeling of epimacular membrane and to correlate the functional results with the presence or absence of an internal limiting membrane (ILM) in the histologic specimens.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy-one eyes underwent vitrectomy and peeling of an epimacular membrane. These membranes were examined with a transmission electron microscope. Best-corrected visual acuities were recorded before macular surgery, 1 month after surgery, and at the final examination and were compared between group 1 (ILM removed) and group 2 (ILM not removed). The age, gender, status of the lens preoperatively, type of epimacular membrane (idiopathic or secondary), intraoperative and postoperative complications, and elapsed time between vitrectomy and cataract operation were recorded. All 71 eyes were pseudophakic at the final examination. The mean follow-up was 21 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Long segments of ILM were found in the specimens from 55 (77%) of the cases. Final visual acuities were better in group 1 (ILM removed) than in group 2 (ILM not removed, P = 0.004). The visual gain was 3.1 lines on the Early Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy Study chart in group 1 and 0.9 lines in group 2. At the last examination, a recurrent epimacular membrane was observed in 5 (9%) eyes of group 1 and 9 (56%) eyes of group 2.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  ILM removal during surgery for epimacular membrane is associated with better final vision and a lower risk of recurrent epimacular membrane.
authors.affiliation: Hôpital Ophtalmique Jules Gonin, Lausanne, Switzerland. etienne.bovey@ophtal.vd.ch
authors.forename: Etienne H
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Bovey
authors.forename: Sylvie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Uffer
authors.forename: Farid
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Achache
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001485:Basement Membrane / Q000601:surgery / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002387:Cataract Extraction; D019773:Epiretinal Membrane / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007431:Intraoperative Complications; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D012008:Recurrence; D012307:Risk Factors; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology*; D014821:Vitrectomy