Macular hole surgery recovery with and without face-down posturing: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

BACKGROUND: After pars plana vitrectomy with internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling and gas tamponade, patients are often required to remain in a face-down position (FDP) to allow the gas bubble to push against the macular hole (MH) to promote hole closure. However, this position may be uncomfortable and inconvenient for the elderly and those with medical comorbidities; it may also lead to certain postoperative complications. Hence, this study aimed to evaluate and compare the effect of postoperative FDP and non-face-down position (nFDP) on the closure rate of MHs following MH surgery. METHODS: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were selected through an electronic search of the Cochrane Library, Pubmed, and Embase databases. Trial eligibility and risk of bias were assessed according to Cochrane review methods. The primary measures included overall MH closure rate and subgroup analysis based on MH size. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated. Statistical analysis was performed using RevMan 5.0 software and Stata software 15.0. RESULTS: Five RCTs composed of a total of 183 eyes in the FDP group and 175 eyes in the nFDP group were included in this meta-analysis. Statistical meta-analysis revealed that the overall MH closure rate in the FDP group was significantly higher than that in the nFDP group (OR = 2.27, 95% CI: 1.02 to 5.05, P = 0.04). For MH sizes smaller than 400 μm, the subgroup meta-analysis indicated that the closure rate of the FDP group was not significantly higher than that of the nFDP group (OR = 1.32, 95% CI: 0.39 to 4.49, P = 0.66). However, when MH size was larger than 400 μm, there was a significantly higher closure rate in the FDP group (OR = 2.95, 95% CI: 1.10 to 7.94, P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Our results provide evidence that a face-down postoperative position seems to be unnecessary when MHs are smaller than 400 μm but may be highly recommended for MHs larger than 400 μm. Further RCTs with large sample sizes are warranted to validate these findings in future.