High epiretinal membrane contractility creates significant stress on the fovea.
Mechanical impact of epiretinal membranes on the retina utilizing finite element analysis.
Sara Naftali … Anat Ratnovsky
Computer methods and programs in biomedicine · Mar 2024
Background
Epiretinal membrane (epiretinal membrane) is a transparent membrane that forms on the surface of the neurosensory retina, causing tangential traction on the retinal surface, which may contribute to cell proliferation and contraction.
Purpose
This study aimed to evaluate the mechanical impact in terms of stress and deformations of the epiretinal membrane and to qualitatively compare them with the clinical progression of fovea thickening observed through optical coherence tomography (optical coherence tomography) images.
Methods
Optical coherence tomography images of 14 patients with epiretinal membrane were used to derive the fovea thickness progression before and after vitrectomy surgery with epiretinal membrane peeling.
n = 14 patients
Results
2.1
kPa
This is the highest stress on the fovea due to membrane pulling
n = 14 patients
“
Conclusion · 1 of 2
These findings imply that high and asymmetric epiretinal membrane contractility should be evaluated clinically as a factor that might signal the need for early vitrectomy surgery to avoid irreversible visual loss.
Conclusion · 2 of 2
Moreover, the optical coherence tomography images revealed that in some cases, the thickness of the fovea indeed remains high, even after ∼12 months postoperatively, which also indicates that the deformation of the fovea in these cases is irreversible.
