Optical Coherence Tomography Assessment for Attached Posterior Vitreous in Eyes with Macular Holes and Epiretinal Membranes

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the reliability of spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) as a diagnostic tool in the detection of an attached posterior vitreous. Methods: A double-blind comparison of the vitreous imaged by OCT acquired on the day of surgery with the status of the posterior vitreous assessed at the time of surgery. Results: A total of 103 patients were recruited to the study, 67 of whom had complete data and were included in the analysis. 37 eyes had macular holes (MHs), 23 eyes had epiretinal membranes (ERM), and the remaining 7 eyes had other macular pathology, including vitreomacular traction syndrome and lamellar holes. The overall sensitivity of OCT in detecting an attached posterior vitreous was 80% and the specificity was 56%. For MH, this was 88% and 60%, respectively, whereas for ERM, it was only 45% and 50%. Conclusions: The assessment of attachments of the posterior hyaloid membrane on OCT can reliably predict attached posterior vitreous in MH but not in ERM.