title: Correlation between spectral-domain optical coherence tomography findings and visual outcome after primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachment repair.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To correlate the postoperative visual outcome with the spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) findings in the fovea after successful rhegmatogenous retinal detachment repair. Cross-sectional, observational study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-five patients with preoperative macula-on rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (12 eyes) and macula-off rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (23 eyes) who underwent scleral buckling surgery for primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachment were recruited. Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study best-corrected visual acuity measurement, microperimetry, and SD-OCT examination were performed on the same day. Foveal center retinal thickness, central 1-mm subfield thickness, and outer nuclear layer thickness were measured using SD-OCT. The presence or absence of epiretinal membrane, intraretinal fluid, and subretinal fluid was assessed. The status of the external limiting membrane, inner/outer segment junction, and intermediate line was also evaluated and judged as disrupted or complete. The correlations between SD-OCT findings and either postoperative best-corrected visual acuity or retinal sensitivities for central 12° were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The outer nuclear layer thickness was the only significant SD-OCT retinal measurement strongly correlated with both postoperative best-corrected visual acuity (r = 0.61; P < 0.001) and retinal sensitivities for central 12° (r = 0.53; P = 0.001). Among the SD-OCT imaging findings, status of the external limiting membrane, inner/outer segment junction, and intermediate line and the presence of intraretinal fluid showed a significantly high correlation either with best-corrected visual acuity outcome (r = -0.60; P < 0.001, r = -0.63; P < 0.001, r = -0.66; P < 0.001, and r = -0.50; P = 0.002, respectively) or with postoperative retinal sensitivities (r = -0.59; P < 0.001, r = -0.61; P < 0.001, r = -0.66; P < 0.001, r = -0.50; P = 0.002, respectively). Multivariate analysis showed that the outer nuclear layer thickness and the status of the intermediate line were the most important predictors of visual outcome (P < 0.001 and P < 0.001, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study showed that not only the status of the external limiting membrane and the inner/outer segment junction but also the integrity of the intermediate line and the outer nuclear layer thickness changes may be important predictors of postoperative visual outcome after anatomically successful rhegmatogenous retinal detachment repair.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Rome La Sapienza, Rome, Italy. magda.gharbiya@tiscali.it
authors.forename: Magda
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gharbiya
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Grandinetti
authors.forename: Vittorio
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Scavella
authors.forename: Michela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cecere
authors.forename: Mariacristina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Esposito
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Segnalini
authors.forename: Corrado Balacco
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Gabrieli
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D019773:Epiretinal Membrane / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D005584:Fovea Centralis / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020419:Photoreceptor Cells, Vertebrate / Q000473:pathology; D011182:Postoperative Care / Q000379:methods; D012163:Retinal Detachment / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D012591:Scleral Buckling / Q000379:methods; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence / Q000379:methods; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult