Effect of long-term silicone oil tamponade on the density of blood vessels in the macular and peripapillary region in patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment.

OBJECTIVE PURPOSE: To use optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) to evaluate changes in microvascular parameters in the macular and peripapillary areas of patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) who received silicone oil (SO) tamponade for 6 months after vitrectomy.

METHODS

Twenty-one eyes (21 patients) with macular-off RRD treated with pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) and SO tamponade were reviewed. All patients underwent OCTA to measure the vascular density (VD) and perfusion density (PD) in the superficial capillary plexus (SCP), and optical coherence tomography to measure the central macular thickness (CMT) and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness throughout the 6-month postoperative period. Healthy fellow eyes were used as the control.

RESULTS

The vessel density and perfusion density of the whole area in the macular and peripapillary between the operated and control eye at 1, 3, and 6 months postoperatively were significantly different (all p < 0.05). Compared to the contralateral eyes, the CMT (all p < 0.001) and RNFL (all p < 0.05) of the RRD eyes were significantly thinner. During the follow-up period, both the SCP VD and SCP PD in the macular area of the RRD eyes decreased with time (all p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

In patients with RRD who underwent PPV and intraocular SO tamponade, the retinal SCP VDs and PDs gradually decreased over time. CMT and RNFL were decreased compared with contralateral eye.