Drainage Retinotomy Confers Risk of Epiretinal Membrane Formation After Vitrectomy for Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment Repair

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: Nationwide, multicenter, clinical cohort study based on registry data. Methods: We reviewed 2239 cases treated with PPV for RRD repair registered in the Japan-Retinal Detachment Registry between February 2016 and March 2017. Associations of 13 baseline characteristics and 8 surgical procedures with ERM formation were evaluated using univariate analysis. We conducted a propensity score–matched analysis for the significantly associated clinical factor(s). The primary outcome measure was ERM formation after 6 months of vitrectomy. Results: ERM had developed in 104 cases (4.6%) by 6 months. We found that 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 < .001). In the propensity score–matched analysis (n = 492 in each group), we confirmed a significant difference in the incidence of ERM after 6 months of vitrectomy (8.3% and 2.6% in cases with and without drainage retinotomy, respectively; OR 3.35 [95% CI 1.77-6.33]; P < .001). Conclusions: Eyes treated with PPV combined with drainage retinotomy are more likely to develop ERM postoperatively.