Quantitative evaluation of metamorphopsia with M-CHARTS™ and evaluation of retinal morphologic changes by optical coherence tomography before and after pars plana vitrectomy in patients with idiopathic epiretinal membrane.

PURPOSE: We aimed to quantitatively evaluate metamorphopsia pre- and postoperatively in patients with idiopathic epiretinal membrane(iERM) using M-CHARTS™ and to evaluate the relationship between morphological changes in retinal layers on optical coherence tomography (OCT) and metamorphopsia scores. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This prospective study included 42 patients followed in Akdeniz University Hospital Ophthalmology Clinic diagnosed with iERM by fundus examination and OCT between 2020-2022. Detailed ophthalmologic findings, visual acuities, metamorphopsia scores, and OCT parameters of all patients were recorded. The relationship between pre- and postoperative visual acuity, metamorphopsia scores and OCT parameters was investigated. Changes in OCT parameters were compared by evaluating patients with stable or increasing metamorphopsia scores as one group (group1) and patients with decreasing metamorphopsia scores as the other group (group 2). RESULTS: In "group 2", preoperative Ganglion Cell Layer+Inner Plexiform Layer (Central) (GCL+IPL (C)) was significantly (P: 0.028) higher than in "group 1". CONCLUSION: A statistically significant preoperative thickness difference in the OCT parameters of the GCL+IPL (C) layer was associated with the quantitative metamorphopsia complaints of the patients. The thickness of the preoperative GCL+IPL (C) layer can be considered an important indicator of symptoms of metamorphopsia determining functional success after surgery.

Comorbidity of the congenital absence of the vas deferens.

Congenital absence of the vas deferens (CAVD) is a relatively rare anomaly that may contribute to male infertility. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical features of patients with CAVD and to emphasise some pathological conditions that may be detected during the infertility work-up or follow-up of these patients. The charts of 150 males with the diagnosis of CAVD were evaluated retrospectively. The demographic characteristics, reasons for attendance, the way of diagnosis, interventions for infertility before and after attendance, physical examination findings, reproductive hormone levels, semen analysis results, genetical analysis results and resultant live birth events were all included in the study. There were 101 bilateral and 43 unilateral CAVD cases. Thirty-two males (30.2%) had some renal abnormalities. Two cases, one with bilateral and one with unilateral agenesis, died because of colon cancer at a young age. One case with CUAVD had acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. Congenital absence of the vas deferens should not be seen only as a fertility problem because of the many genotypic or phenotypic disorders that may be present with it. These disorders can cause serious general health problems either presently or in future and can also be transmitted to future generations.