Internal Aspiration in Macular Hole Surgery: A Retrospective Comparative Study
- 1Beijing Key Laboratory of Restoration of Damaged Ocular Nerve Department of Ophthalmology Peking University Third Hospital Beijing China puh3.net.cn
Abstract
Purpose: To compare the structural and functional outcomes of pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) with or without aspiration of fluid from inside the macular hole for primary full‐thickness macular holes (FTMHs).
Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the hole closure rate, the integrity of the ellipsoid zone (EZ), central retinal thickness (CRT), and best‐corrected visual acuity (BCVA) from 101 eyes of 101 patients with primary medium‐to‐large FTMH who underwent PPV with aspiration or nonaspiration technique within 1 month.
Results: At 1 month postoperatively, Type 1 closure rates were 81.4% (48/59) in the aspiration cohort and 83.3% (35/42) in the non‐aspiration cohort; U‐type closure rates were 49.2% (29/59) and 52.4% (22/42), respectively. After the 1‐month visit, 61 of the 101 eyes (60.4%) were lost to follow‐up; the remaining 40 eyes (24 in the aspiration cohort and 16 in the nonaspiration cohort) were also analyzed at 3–6 months postoperatively. At 3–6 months postoperatively, Type 1 closure rates were 75.0% (18/24) in the aspiration cohort and 87.5% (14/16) in the non‐aspiration cohort; U‐type closure rates were 58.3% (14/24) and 62.5% (10/16), respectively. No significant between‐cohort differences were found in the unadjusted analyses; multivariable models likewise showed no significant association of aspiration with closure or BCVA. BCVA of the 40 eyes (Cohort 1 + Cohort 2) showed no significant change from baseline (1.00 logMAR [Q1–Q3: 0.92–1.40]) to 1 month postoperatively (1.05 logMAR [Q1–Q3: 0.92–1.49 logMAR]) and improved significantly at 3–6 months postoperatively (0.82 logMAR [Q1–Q3: 0.52–1.00 logMAR]) (p < 0.001), which was correlated with a significant decrease in the EZ defect from 1443.50 μm (Q1–Q3: 1053.50–1875.50 μm) at 1 month to 797.00 μm (Q1–Q3: 264.75–1610.00 μm) at 3–6 months (p = 0.003).
Conclusion: Aspiration of fluid from inside the macular hole seems to provide no additional benefit in this retrospective study for the surgical treatment of medium‐to‐large primary FTMHs. Improvement in postoperative visual function occurs simultaneously with the reduction of EZ defects.
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BibTeX
@article{xu2026internal,
title = {{Internal Aspiration in Macular Hole Surgery: A Retrospective Comparative Study}},
author = {Ke Xu and Yanfeng Liao and Dan Li and Shuang Cui and Xuefeng Feng and Changguan Wang and Huijin Chen},
journal = {Journal of Ophthalmology},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.1155/joph/7026243},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1155/joph/7026243},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Internal Aspiration in Macular Hole Surgery: A Retrospective Comparative Study
AU - Ke Xu
AU - Yanfeng Liao
AU - Dan Li
AU - Shuang Cui
AU - Xuefeng Feng
AU - Changguan Wang
AU - Huijin Chen
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/01
JO - Journal of Ophthalmology
DO - 10.1155/joph/7026243
UR - https://doi.org/10.1155/joph/7026243
AB - Purpose: To compare the structural and functional outcomes of pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) with or without aspiration of fluid from inside the macular hole for primary full‐thickness macular holes (FTMHs). Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the hole closure rate, the integrity of the ellipsoid zone (EZ), central retinal thickness (CRT), and best‐corrected visual acuity (BCVA) from 101 eyes of 101 patients with primary medium‐to‐large FTMH who underwent PPV with aspiration or nonaspiration technique within 1 month. Results: At 1 month postoperatively, Type 1 closure rates were 81.4% (48/59) in the aspiration cohort and 83.3% (35/42) in the non‐aspiration cohort; U‐type closure rates were 49.2% (29/59) and 52.4% (22/42), respectively. After the 1‐month visit, 61 of the 101 eyes (60.4%) were lost to follow‐up; the remaining 40 eyes (24 in the aspiration cohort and 16 in the nonaspiration cohort) were also analyzed at 3–6 months postoperatively. At 3–6 months postoperatively, Type 1 closure rates were 75.0% (18/24) in the aspiration cohort and 87.5% (14/16) in the non‐aspiration cohort; U‐type closure rates were 58.3% (14/24) and 62.5% (10/16), respectively. No significant between‐cohort differences were found in the unadjusted analyses; multivariable models likewise showed no significant association of aspiration with closure or BCVA. BCVA of the 40 eyes (Cohort 1 + Cohort 2) showed no significant change from baseline (1.00 logMAR [Q1–Q3: 0.92–1.40]) to 1 month postoperatively (1.05 logMAR [Q1–Q3: 0.92–1.49 logMAR]) and improved significantly at 3–6 months postoperatively (0.82 logMAR [Q1–Q3: 0.52–1.00 logMAR]) (p < 0.001), which was correlated with a significant decrease in the EZ defect from 1443.50 μm (Q1–Q3: 1053.50–1875.50 μm) at 1 month to 797.00 μm (Q1–Q3: 264.75–1610.00 μm) at 3–6 months (p = 0.003). Conclusion: Aspiration of fluid from inside the macular hole seems to provide no additional benefit in this retrospective study for the surgical treatment of medium‐to‐large primary FTMHs. Improvement in postoperative visual function occurs simultaneously with the reduction of EZ defects.
SN - 2090-004X
SN - 2090-0058
ER -