Comparisons of Multifocal Electroretinograms and Optical Coherence Tomography Images before and after Surgery in Patients with Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment Involving the Macular Area

Objective: To evaluate changes in multifocal electroretinogram (mfERG) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) before and after surgery in patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) involving the macular area. Methods: This was a retrospective study in which 52 eyes (52 patients) with RRD involving the macular area (RRD group) were compared with the fellow healthy eyes (normal control group). All patients in the RRD group underwent scleral buckling surgery. Before each surgery, the eyes were examined by mfERG and OCT. At one week and at 1, 3, and 6 months after surgery, the eyes were examined again. Using Pearson product moment correlation analysis and repeated measurement methods were used to analyze the datas. Results: All RRD eyes successfully underwent the surgery successfully. The thickness of the macular fovea of the RRD group before surgery, 534±44 μm, was significantly greater than for the normal control group (t=17.127, P<0.05). At one week and at 1, 3, and 6 months after surgery, the foveal retinal thickness decreased significantly (P<0.01). The N1 and P1 wave amplitude densities at ring 1 of the RRD eyes were significantly less than in the control eyes (tN1=17.372, tP1=23.943, P<0.05) as was the delay in the peak latency (tN1=5.291, tP1=7.306, P<0.05). At one week and at 1, 3, and 6 months after surgery, the N1 and P1wave amplitude densities at ring 1 were higher than before the surgery (P<0.01). The delay in the peak latency was not significantly changed compared to the preoperative values. At 1, 3, and 6 months after the surgery, the best corrected visual acuity was negatively correlated with macular center thickness (r=-0.801, -0.695, -0.643, P<0.05, at each follow up). The ring 1 N1 and P1 wave amplitude densities were positively correlated with the macular center thickness (rN1=0.702, 0.695, 0.632, rP1=0.811, 0.713, 0.648, P<0.05, at each follow up), but the peak latency was not correlated with the macular center thickness. Conclusions: The morphology and function in the macular area of patients with RRD can be objectively and comprehensively measured by OCT and mfERG applications. With mfERG and OCT, the success after retinal detachment surgery can be assessed. Key words: retinal detachment; scleral buckling surgery; tomography, optical coherence; multifocal electroretinogram