Frequency and clinical characteristics of epiretinal membranes in diabetic retinopathy

Abstract

Purpose. The study of the frequency and clinical varieties of epiretinal fibrosis (ERF) in the macula in diabetic retinopathy (DR). Material and methods. Clinical material: 90 patients with DR (90 eyes). 29 eyes had nonproliferative DR, 31 eyes had preproliferative DR, and 30 eyes had proliferative DR. Optical coherence tomography of the macular zone of the retina was performed using the CIRRUS HD-OCT MODEL 500 device. The presence and characteristics of ERF were assessed. Results. The presence of ERF was found in 65 eyes (72.2%). With nonproliferative DR it was found in 10 eyes (32.2%), within the parafoveal zone. At the preproliferative stage of DR – in 25 eyes (80.6%), in the macula – in 16 eyes, in 9 cases – outside the vascular arcades. In proliferative DR, ERF occurred in all 30 eyes (100%). In 15 eyes – ERF without vascularization, in 10 eyes ERF captured the macula and vascular arcades. There were both planar and traction variants (49 and 16 eyes, respectively). Its fixation was the most common in the fovea zone (7 eyes). ERF vascularization was observed in 10 eyes with a pronounced stage of proliferative DR (of these, in 7 cases vascularized ERF was localized in the macular area, in 3 eyes it was localized in the area of vascular arcades). Conclusion. The presence of ERF was detected in the majority of patients with DR of various stages (72.2%), with a traction component it was found in 16 eyes. With the aggravation of the stage of DR, an increase in the frequency of ERF was noted. ERF, as a rule, captured the foveal region, it was characterized by a different area of coverage of the parafovea in cases of accessible visualization of the ocular fundus. Keywords: epiretinal fibrosis, diabetic retinopathy, macula