Abstract
Purpose
To investigate the clinical manifestation and the result of vitrectomy in patients with vitreomacular traction syndrome.
Methods
Optical coherent tomography (OCT) was used to evaluate the clinical manifestation and the results of vitrectomy for 26 eyes with vitreomacular traction syndrome.
Results
Spontaneous relief of vitreomacular traction was achieved in 3 of 8 eyes after a mean follow-up duration of 9 months. One eye recovered visual acuity, but the other 2 eyes could not attain better visual acuity because of persistent sponge-like macular edemas. Six of 13 eyes (46%) improved by two or more lines of visual acuity after vitrectomy. The presence of simple macular cysts without sponge-like macular edemas or tractional retinal detachment seemed to be related to good results after vitrectomy.
Go to : 

References
1. True CM. Vitreomacular traction syndrome: two case reports. Clin Eye Vis Care. 1999; 10:181–7.
2. Johnson MW. Tractional cystoid macular edema: A subtle variant of the vitreomacular traction syndrome. Am J Ophthalmol. 2005; 140:184–92.


3. Yamada N, Kishi S. Tomographic features and surgical outcomes of vitreomacular traction syndrome. Am J Ophthalmol. 2005; 139:112–7.


4. Hikichi T, Yoshida A, Trempe CL. Course of vitreomacular traction syndrome. Am J Ophthalmol. 1995; 119:55–61.


5. Do DV, Cho M, Nguyen QD. . The impact of optical coherent tomography on surgical decision making in epiretinal membrane and vitreomacular traction. Trans Am Ophthalmol Soc. 2006; 104:161–6.
6. Lee JG, An GJ, Lee EK. Diagnosis and treatment of vitreomacular traction syndrome using Optical Coherent Tomography. J Korean Ophthalmol Soc. 2003; 44:351–6.
7. Uchino E, Uemura A, Doi N, Ohba N. Postsurgical evaluation of idiopathic vitreomacular traction syndrome by Optical Coherent Tomography. Am J Ophthalmol. 2001; 132:122–3.
8. Johnson MW. Perifoveal vitreous detachment and its macular complications. Trans Am Ophthalmol Soc. 2005; 103:537–67.


9. Lee BR, Sohn SW. The biomicroscopic variations of posterior vitreous detachments. J Korean Ophthalmol Soc. 2001; 42:64–72.
10. Gandorfer A, Rohleder M, Kampik A. Epiretinal pathology of vitreomacular traction syndrome. Br J Ophthalmol. 2002; 86:902–9.


11. Snead DR, Cullen N, James S. . Hyperconvolution of the inner limiting membrane in vitreomaculopathies. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2004; 242:853–62.


12. Smiddy WE, Green WR, Michels RG, de la Cruz Z. Ultrastructural studies of vitreomacular traction syndrome. Am J Ophthalmol. 1989; 107:177–85.


13. Watanabe M, Oshima Y, Emi K. Optical cross-sectional observation of resolved diabetic macular edema associated with vitreomacular separation. Am J Ophthalmol. 2000; 129:264–7.


14. Ikeda T, Sato K, Katano T, Hayashi Y. Attached posterior hyaloid membrane and the pathogenesis of honeycombed cystoid macular edema in patients with diabetes. Am J Ophthalmol. 1999; 127:478–9.


15. Kim BY, Smith SD, Kaiser PK. Optical coherent tomographic patterns of diabetic macular edema. Am J Ophthalmol. 2006; 142:405–12.
16. Melberg NS, Williams DF, Balles MW. . Vitrectomy for vitreomacular traction syndrome with macular detachment. Retina. 1995; 15:192–7.


17. McDonald HR, Johnson RN, Schatz H. Surgical results in the vitreomacular traction syndrome. Ophthalmology. 1994; 101:1397–402.


18. Yanoff M, Fine BS, Brucker AJ. . Pathology of human cystoid macular edema. Surv Ophthalmol. 1984; 28:505–11.


19. Otani T, Kishi S, Maruyama Y. Patterns of diabetic macular edema with optical coherent tomography. Am J Ophthalmol. 1999; 127:688–93.
20. Catier AC, Todayoni R, Paques M. . Characterization of macular edema from various etiologies by optical coherent tomography. Am J Ophthalmol. 2005; 140:200–6.
Go to : 

![]() | Figure 1.Subtypes of the vitreomacular traction according to the amount of posterior vitreous detachment. (A) Anteroposterior vitreous strand causing vitreomacular traction focusing on the macular center, a large macular cyst is shown at the fovea. (B) V-shaped posterior vitreous detachment causing pagoda-shaped foveal elevation with macular cysts. (C) Imcomplete posterior vitreous detachment with broad vitreomacular adhesion causing multiple small macular cysts and sponge-like macular edema. |
![]() | Figure 2.Various macular pathologic changes caused by vitreomacular traction syndrome. (A) V-shaped posterior vitreous detachment and epiretinal membrane causing pagoda-shaped foveal elevation. (B) Dome-shaped macular elevation showing sponge-like macular edema by the broad vitreomacular adhesion. (C) Vitreomacular traction syndrome with the formation of a macular hole. (D) Severe tractional retinal detachment with the accumulation of subretinal fluid and small macular cysts in the inner retinal layer. |
Table 1.
Incidence and mean initial visual acuity of subtypes of vitreomacular traction syndrome associated with macular pathologic changes by optical coherent tomography
Types of VMT∗ | Associated macular pathology (n, mean initial visual acuity) | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Absent | Macular cyst | Macular cyst & TRD† | Macular cyst & MH‡ | SME§ | SME & TRD | TRD | Total | |
Anteroposteior strand | 1 (0.6) | 2 (0.65) | 1 (FC∏) | 1 (0.50) | 5 (0.48) | |||
V-shaped PVD# | 3 (0.37) | 2 (0.20) | 3 (0.17) | 8 (0.25) | ||||
Broad macular attachment | 3 (0.43) | 3 (0.28) | 1 (0.15) | 3 (0.20) | 3 (0.23) | 13 (0.28) | ||
Total | 1 (0.6) | 8 (0.46) | 3 (0.28) | 1 (0.15) | 3 (0.20) | 6 (0.18) | 4 (0.25) | 26 (0.31) |
Table 2.
Progression of vitreomacular traction and change of visual acuity in vitreomacular traction syndrome after follow-up period without vitrectomy
Types of progression of VMT∗ | n (%) | Mean FU† duration (months) | Visual acuity | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Initial | Final | |||
No significant change | 4 (50.0) | 11.0 | 0.35 | 0.33 |
Spontaneous relief of VMT | 3 (37.5) | 9.0 | 0.37 | 0.43 |
Aggravated CME‡ | 1 (12.5) | 20 | 0.7 | 0.5 |
Total | 8 | 11.4 | 0.40 | 0.38 |
Table 3.
Results of vitrectomy for the treatment of vitreomacular traction syndrome
n (%) | Mean visual acuity | ||
---|---|---|---|
Preoperative | Postoperative | ||
Postoperative visual acuity | |||
Improved ≥ 2 lines | 6 (46) | 0.27 | 0.72 |
Stable | 4 (31) | 0.20 | 0.24 |
Decreased | 3 (23) | 0.23 | 0.13 |
Postoperative OCT∗ findings | |||
Normal | 5 (46) | 0.33 | 0.80 |
Persistent CME† | 2 (15) | 0.18 | 0.20 |
Persistent sponge-like swelling | 5 (31) | 0.20 | 0.24 |
Full-thickness MH‡ | 1 (8) | 0.1 | HM§ |
Total | 13 | 0.24 | 0.43 |
Table 4.
Result of vitrectomy according to the subgroups of vitreomacular traction syndrome
Types of VMT∗ | Associated macular pathology (n, mean visual acuity - preoperative/postoperative) | Total# | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Macular cyst | Macular cyst & MH† | Macular cyst & TRD‡ | SME§ | SME & TRD | TRD | |||
Anteroposteior strand | 1 (0.5/0.9) | 1 (0.5/0.9) | ||||||
V-shaped PVD∏ | 1 (0.2/0.8) | 1 (0.3/0.15) | 1 (0.15/0.2) | 3 (0.22/0.38) | ||||
Broad macular attachment | 2 (0.40/0.65) | 1 (0.15/1.0) | 1 (0.2/0.2) | 3 (0.20/0.22) | 2 (0.10/0.23) | 9 (0.22/0.40) | ||
Total# | 3 (0.33/0.70) | 1 (0.15/1.0) | 1 (0.2/0.2) | 3 (0.20/0.22) | 3 (0.17/0.20) | 2 (0.33/0.50) | 13 (0.24/0.43) |