title: Correlation of foveal photoreceptor integrity with visual outcome in idiopathic epiretinal membrane.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the correlation of foveal photoreceptor integrity with visual outcome in patients undergoing idiopathic epiretinal membrane (ERM) surgery using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT).
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-three eyes of 43 patients were examined by SD-OCT before and at 1 and 6 months after vitrectomy for idiopathic ERM. Patients were divided into two groups based on the preoperative integrity of photoreceptor inner and outer segment junction (IS/OS) - Group I, intact IS/OS and Group D, disrupted IS/OS. Where present, disrupted length of IS/OS was measured, and the association between disrupted length of IS/OS and foveal thickness with best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 27 eyes with an intact IS/OS (Group I) and 16 eyes with a disrupted IS/OS (Group D). Patients in Group I had significantly better postoperative BCVA and greater improvement than those in Group D at 6 months after surgery (p = 0.001 and p = 0.030, respectively). By 6 months after surgery, the disrupted length of IS/OS observed preoperatively in Group D had decreased significantly (p = 0.007). The disrupted length of IS/OS before and at 6 months after the surgery in Group D showed a positive correlation with BCVA (r = 0.632 and p = 0.009; r = 0.658 and p = 0.006, respectively). Foveal thickness did not correlate significantly with preoperative and postoperative BCVA.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Preoperative disruption of foveal photoreceptors can be restored after ERM surgery. The preoperative integrity of foveal photoreceptors may be a clinically significant prognostic factor for visual recovery in patients with idiopathic ERM.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Konkuk University Medical Center, Konkuk University School of Medicine , Seoul , Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hyung Jun
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Joon-Won
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Hyewon
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Hyung Chan
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D019773:Epiretinal Membrane / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005584:Fovea Centralis; D006801:Humans; D019654:Lens Implantation, Intraocular; D008297:Male; D018918:Phacoemulsification; D011184:Postoperative Period; D057234:Preoperative Period; D020127:Recovery of Function; D055211:Retinal Photoreceptor Cell Inner Segment / Q000473:pathology*; D055214:Retinal Photoreceptor Cell Outer Segment / Q000473:pathology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology*; D014821:Vitrectomy