Adaptive Optics and Multimodal Retinal Imaging for Postoperative Evaluation in Patients With Epiretinal Membrane.

PURPOSE: To evaluate adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscope (AO-SLO) features and identify their multimodal retinal imaging characteristics using AO-SLO, swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT), and color fundus photography in patients undergoing surgery for epiretinal membrane (ERM), and to provide valuable insights into the mechanism underlying postoperative ERM progression.

METHODS

Patients with ERM underwent multimodal retinal imaging following surgery, including color fundus photography, SS-OCT, and AO-SLO. AO-SLO features were characterized, and their corresponding multimodal retinal imaging findings were analyzed.

RESULTS

Seventeen eyes from 17 postoperative ERM patients were included in this pilot study (mean age [SD], 68.06 [8.26] years; 12 female [70.6%]). Seven categories of AO-SLO features were identified in patients with ERM after surgery. The most common features were granular membrane (n = 17 [100%]), waxy membrane (n = 12 [70.6%]), and microcysts (n = 12 [70.6%]), after dissociated optic nerve fiber layer (n = 11 [64.7%]), microfolds (n = 6 [35.3%]), punctate reflectivity (n = 6 [35.3%]), and retinal folds (n = 5 [29.4%]).

CONCLUSIONS

AO-SLO imaging provides detailed insights into retinal microstructural changes after surgery for ERM. Further longitudinal studies tracking AO-SLO features over time and integrating multimodal retinal imaging modalities could enhance our understanding of retinal restoration processes and improve the prediction of surgical outcomes in ERM.