title: A study of the vitreoretinal interface in patients with age-related macular degeneration.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess whether hyaloid adhesion is more prevalent in patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) than in control patients and to evaluate whether it is more prevalent in exudative AMD than in non-exudative AMD.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a cross-sectional, controlled analytical study. Patients from the Ophthalmology Department of the Public Service Hospital of the State of São Paulo were included if they were diagnosed with AMD that was confirmed by fundus biomicroscopy and fluorescein angiography. Patients were divided into three groups: patients without a vitreoretinal disease (controls), patients with exudative AMD, and patients with non-exudative AMD. For the optimal study of the vitreoretinal interface, all patients were subjected to spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT; Cirrus HD-OCT, version 4000; Carl Zeiss Meditec) and ultrasonography (UltraScan®, Alcon). Results with p values of ≤0.05 were considered statistically significant.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We assessed 75 eyes of 23 patients with AMD (14 women and nine men) and 15 the control patients (11 women and four men). In total, 33 eyes had AMD that was consistent with the inclusion criteria, of which 11 had the non-exudative form (non-atrophic) and 22 had the exudative form (11 active and 11 disciform scars). Adherence was observed in eight eyes in the control group (26.67%), in seven eyes with exudative AMD (31.82%), and in five eyes with non-exudative AMD (45.45%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with exudative and non-exudative forms of AMD did not present with higher vitreoretinal adhesion than control patients as assessed by SD-OCT and ultrasound. Moreover, patients with exudative AMD (neovascular membrane and disciform scar) did not reveal a higher adherence than those with non-exudative AMD when evaluated by the same methods.
authors: Curitiba, Curitiba, Paraná, PR, Brazil.
authors: Maíra de França
authors: Mde F
authors: Martins
authors: Campo Grande, Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, MS, Brazil.
authors: Edio
authors: E
authors: Volpatto
authors: Department of Ophthalmology, Retina section, Hospital do Servidor Público do Estado de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors: Paula
authors: P
authors: Emery
authors: Department of Ophthalmology, Retina section, Hospital do Servidor Público do Estado de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors: Pedro Duraes
authors: PD
authors: Serracarbassa
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D019773:Epiretinal Membrane / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012160:Retina / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012307:Risk Factors; D000267:Tissue Adhesions; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D014463:Ultrasonography; D014822:Vitreous Body / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology