Drainage retinotomy confers risk of epiretinal membrane formation following vitrectomy for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment repair

Abstract Purpose To describe the factors associated with epiretinal membrane (ERM) formation in eyes treated with pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD). Design Nation-wide, multi-center, clinical cohort study based on registry data. Methods Subjects: The 2239 cases treated with PPV for RRD repair registered in the Japan-Retinal Detachment Registry between February 2016 and March 2017. Procedures: Associations of 13 baseline characteristics and eight surgical procedures with ERM formation were evaluated using univariate analysis. We conducted a propensity score-matched analysis for the significantly associated clinical factor(s). Main Outcome Measures: ERM formation after six months of vitrectomy. RESULTS ERM had developed in 104 cases (4.6%) by six months. We found that a drainage retinotomy was significantly associated with ERM after multiple testing correction (odds ratio [OR] = 2.22, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.50–3.31, P Conclusions Eyes treated with PPV combined with drainage retinotomy are more likely to develop ERM postoperatively.