title: Epiretinal membrane surgery for combined hamartoma of the retina and retinal pigment epithelium: role of multimodal analysis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), MP-1 microperimetry, and fundus autofluorescence imaging for planning surgical procedures in combined hamartomas of the retina and retinal pigment epithelium (CHR-RPE) and following epiretinal membrane removal.
  
  
  METHODS
  In an interventional retrospective case series, six consecutive subjects with CHR-RPE underwent vitrectomy and epiretinal membrane peeling, with 4 years of follow-up. Each underwent complete ophthalmic examination, including best corrected visual acuity, fundus examination, fundus fluorescein angiography, SD-OCT, MP-1, and fundus autofluorescence at one, 6, 12, and 48 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Six eyes from six subjects with CHR-RPE were studied (mean age 31 ± 14 years). All patients were phakic and five were male (83.3%). Lesions were unilateral, ie, three macular, two juxtapapillary and macular, and one pericentral. Preoperative best corrected visual acuity was 0.3 ± 0.08 Snellen, with significant improvement to 0.9 ± 0.17 Snellen (P = 0.001) at 4 years of follow-up. Mean retinal sensitivity within the central 20° field improved from 16.6 ± 1.84 dB to 18.8 ± 0.96 dB (P = 0.07). There was also a statistically significant reduction in the visual defect (P = 0.04). SD-OCT demonstrated that the epiretinal membranes were completely removed in all but one patient, with significantly decreased macular edema on follow-up at one, 6, 12, and 48 months (P = 0.001). A positive correlation was shown between preoperative macular sensitivity and postoperative best corrected visual acuity. Fundus autofluorescence demonstrated a block in background autofluorescence at the site of the lesion, and hyperautofluorescence at the edematous retina overlain by the epiretinal membrane.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Surgery is an effective treatment for CHR-RPE. SD-OCT, fundus autofluorescence, and MP-1 are valuable and noninvasive tools to guide surgical procedures for CHR-RPE. To the best of our knowledge, this study represents the first use of MP-1 in CHR-RPE in conjunction with SD-OCT and fundus autofluorescence imaging for better guided surgery as well as anatomical and functional prognosis.
authors: Ophthalmology, Department of Neuroscience, Marche Polytechnic University, Ancona, Italy.
authors: Claudia
authors: C
authors: Bruè
authors: Andrea
authors: A
authors: Saitta
authors: Michele
authors: M
authors: Nicolai
authors: Cesare
authors: C
authors: Mariotti
authors: Alfonso
authors: A
authors: Giovannini
keywords: combined hamartoma of the retina and retinal pigment epithelium; epiretinal membrane; vitrectomy
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