title: Early diagnosis of macular hole closure of a gas-filled eye with Watzke-Allen slit beam test and spectral domain optical coherence tomography.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of the Watzke-Allen slit beam test (W/A test) and spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) for diagnosing macular hole closure in gas-filled eyes during the early postoperative period.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective comparative study was performed on 40 consecutive eyes of 40 patients with macular hole treated with vitrectomy. Macular hole closure was initially judged within 2 days after surgery with both the W/A test and SD-OCT. Final diagnosis was confirmed with SD-OCT after the gas disappeared. The concordance rate of initial diagnosis and final diagnosis using each method was evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The W/A test could be done for the gas-filled eyes of all patients next day, whereas a diagnosable SD-OCT image could be obtained in 77.5% of patients. The concordance rate was 85% (34of 40 examined eyes) with the W/A test and 77.5% (31 of 40 examined eyes) with SD-OCT (P = 0.39, chi-square test). If a diagnosable result (image or response) could be obtained within 2 days after surgery, the accuracy of SD-OCT (31 of 31 eyes) was significantly better than that of the W/A test (31 of 40 eyes) (P = 0.026, chi-square test).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The W/A test is more useful for diagnosing macular hole closure of a gas-filled eye than SD-OCT; however, SD-OCT gives more accurate information when diagnosable. Combining both methods could improve the accuracy and applicability.
authors: Department of Ophthalmology, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Science, Kagoshima, Japan.
authors: Keita
authors: K
authors: Yamakiri
authors: Taiji
authors: T
authors: Sakamoto
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003941:Diagnostic Techniques, Ophthalmological; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007368:Interferometry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012167:Retinal Perforations / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013459:Sulfur Hexafluoride / Q000008:administration & dosage; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence / Q000379:methods*; D014821:Vitrectomy / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D013459:Sulfur Hexafluoride