Tomographic characteristics of the vitreomacular interface in diabetic macular edema
Keywords:
diabetic retinopathy, macular edema, optical coherence tomographyAbstract
Introduction: Diabetic macular edema is a common complication of diabetic retinopathy that affects central vision. Optical coherence tomography is the gold standard diagnostic tool for following and monitoring the evolution of retinal thickness, fluid presence, and vitreomacular interface characteristics.
Objective: To describe the tomographic characteristics of the vitreomacular interface and diabetic macular edema in diabetic patients.
Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted in 93 patients (154 eyes). Variables related to the characteristics of diabetic macular edema and changes in the vitreomacular interface were studied. Summary measures were used for qualitative variables (frequencies), and the mean and standard deviation for quantitative variables. The chi-square test of independence was used to identify associations between variables.
Results: Diabetic macular edema with foveal involvement was observed in 83.76% of eyes; 74.02% showed intraretinal cysts. The average central macular thickness was 474.7 microns, reflecting the severity of the edema. Some changes in the vitreomacular interface were present in 83.11% of eyes, the most common being epiretinal membrane (75.0%) and anomalous posterior vitreous detachment (47.6%).
Conclusions: Diabetic macular edema is characterized by a high prevalence of vitreomacular interface abnormalities; therefore, it is essential to identify the central macular thickness, the presence of cysts, hyperreflective spots, and changes in the vitreomacular interface to establish the visual prognosis of patients.
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