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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2012 Feb;26(2):267-71.
doi: 10.1038/eye.2011.220. Epub 2011 Sep 23.

Pilot randomised controlled trial of face-down posturing following phacovitrectomy for macular hole

D Yorston  1 , M A R Siddiqui, M A Awan, S Walker, C Bunce, J W Bainbridge
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Pilot randomised controlled trial of face-down posturing following phacovitrectomy for macular hole

D Yorston et al. Eye (Lond). 2012 Feb.

Erratum in

  • Eye (Lond). 2012 Feb;26(2):341

Abstract

Background: To gather information on the effect of postoperative face-down posturing following combined phacoemulsification and vitrectomy for macular hole surgery in order to assist in the design of a larger definitive study.

Methods: Thirty phakic patients with stage II-IV full-thickness macular hole had combined phacoemulsification and pars plana vitrectomy with internal limiting membrane peel and 14% perfluoropropane (C(3)F(8)) gas. At the conclusion of surgery, patients were randomised either to face-down posture or to no posture, for 10 days. The primary outcome was macular hole closure.

Results: The macular hole was successfully closed in 93.8% of the face-down posture group and in all of the no-posture group. Mean visual improvement was 0.63 (SD=0.21) logMAR units in the face-down group and 0.53 (SD=0.22) in the no posture patients.

Conclusion: Following combined phacoemulsification and vitrectomy, postoperative face-down posturing appears to make little difference to the final anatomical or visual outcome. If we assume a success rate of 95% in the posturing arm, and that there is no difference between posturing and non-posturing, then 798 patients would be required to be 90% sure that the 95% confidence interval will exclude a difference of more than 5%.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Mean preoperative (pre-op) and postoperative (post-op) visual acuities (VAs).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Postoperative vision and hole dinner.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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