Autologous internal limiting membrane flap for retinal detachment due to posterior retinal tears over choroidal atrophy in highly myopic eyes

PURPOSE: To review a series of highly myopic eyes with retinal detachment undergoing pars plana vitrectomy with autologous internal limiting membrane (ILM) flap placed over posterior retinal breaks located in areas of choroidal atrophy. METHODS: Retrospective review of 13 consecutive patients receiving pars plana vitrectomy with ILM flap over causative breaks, compared with 19 controls receiving the same surgery with ILM peeling but no ILM flap. Main outcome measures included anatomical success rate, visual acuity, number of surgeries and the rate of silicone oil removal. RESULTS: Patients in the ILM group required 2.08±0.37 interventions versus 2.58±0.75 in the control group (p=0.037). One (1/13; 7.6%) patient in the ILM group required additional unplanned surgery versus 8/19 (42.10%) in the control group (p=0.038). Final anatomical success rate defined as attached retina after silicone oil (SiO) removal was 13/13 in the I-ILM group and 14/19 (73.6%) in the control group (p=0.052). No patients (0/13) in the I-ILM group retained SiO at the end of follow-up versus 4/19 (21.1%) patients in the control group (p=0.061). Best-corrected visual acuity at the end of follow-up was logMAR 0.65±0.36 (20/91 Snellen) in the ILM group and logMAR 0.89±0.44 (20/158 Snellen) in the control group (p=0.20). CONCLUSION: Autologous ILM may help seal posterior retinal breaks and improve the surgical prognosis of retinal detachment due to breaks located over areas of choroidal atrophy within the myopic staphyloma.