Spontaneous Closure of Full-Thickness Macular Hole With Epiretinal Membrane in Vitrectomized Eyes: Case Series and Review of Literature

The authors describe three vitrectomized eyes that each subsequently developed a full-thickness macular hole (FTMH) that then spontaneously closed and summarize the current literature reporting these rare events. Clinical history, imaging, and course of three patients were reviewed and compiled. All three cases in this series developed a FTMH less than 7 months following vitrectomy (for epiretinal membrane [ERM], n = 1) and retinal detachment (n = 2) that demonstrated spontaneous resolution within 2 months of symptom onset, without intervention. All three vitrectomized eyes had small holes ranging from 48 µm to 189 µm in inner opening diameter and had an ERM or lamellar hole epiretinal proliferation documented before FTMH formation. These cases demonstrate that spontaneous closure of FTMH is possible in vitrectomized eyes with small holes despite the presence of ERM. On reviewing similar cases reported in the current literature, the presence of a mild ERM with a small FTMH may even be a favorable characteristic for spontaneous closure. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 2017;48:183-190.].