INFLUENCE OF INVERTED INTERNAL LIMITING MEMBRANE FLAP TECHNIQUE ON THE OUTER RETINAL LAYER STRUCTURES AFTER A LARGE MACULAR HOLE SURGERY.

PURPOSE: To examine the influence of inverted internal limiting membrane (ILM) flap technique on the outer retinal layer structures after macular hole (MH) surgery. METHODS: We included 24 eyes of 24 patients who underwent vitrectomy for large MHs (≥400 µm) with successful MH closure and observed for at least 6 months. Fourteen eyes were treated with inverted ILM flap technique (inverted group) and 10 with conventional ILM peeling (ILMP group). We evaluated the postoperative recovery rate of the external limiting membrane and ellipsoid zone and the best-corrected visual acuity. RESULTS: The postoperative recovery rates of the external limiting membrane and ellipsoid zone in the inverted group were lower than those in the ILMP group (21.4 vs. 70.0%, P = 0.024; 0 vs. 30.0, P = 0.059, respectively). The external limiting membrane recovery period in the inverted group was significantly longer than that in the ILMP group (11.0 ± 1.7 vs. 3.4 ± 2.8 months, P = 0.015). The best-corrected visual acuity change (letters) in the inverted group was significantly smaller than that in the ILMP group (9.0 vs. 22.5, P = 0.040). CONCLUSION: The poorer anatomical and visual results associated with inverted ILM flap compared with ILM peeling suggest the limitation of the ILM flap technique to repair refractory MHs.