Clinical-pathologic correlation: vitrectomy with epiretinal and internal limiting membrane peel.
OBJECTIVE
To correlate clinical and pathologic findings in vitreoretinal surgeries with epiretinal membrane (ERM) and internal limiting membrane (ILM) peels.


METHODS
A retrospective review of the clinical and pathologic reports for 698 vitrectomy specimens involving ERM and/or ILM peels from 2008 to 2012.


RESULTS
Labeling with clear operative clinical diagnoses--ERM, ILM or both--was available for 520 of 698 cases; 492 cases had a corresponding pathology result. Combined ERM-ILM specimens were the dominant clinical and pathologic diagnosis. Over 43% had differing operative and pathologic diagnoses, with 79.6% of cases labeled as ERMs, 75.0% of cases labeled as ILMs, and 22.1% cases labeled as ERM-ILM demonstrating incongruous specimens on pathology.


CONCLUSIONS
It can be difficult to determine the nature of membranes pre- or intraoperatively. Combined ERM-ILM specimens may be more common than previously recognized, implying that the two membranes are not always distinct and surgically separable.
Emilia H
EH
DeMarchis
Suzann
S
Pershing
Darius M
DM
Moshfeghi
D001485:Basement Membrane / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000601:surgery; D019773:Epiretinal Membrane / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014821:Vitrectomy; D018630:Vitreoretinopathy, Proliferative / Q000601:surgery; D014823:Vitreous Hemorrhage / Q000601:surgery