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Abstract
Purpose
To determine adherence to face-down positioning (FDP) among patients who underwent vitrectomy and gas tamponade for macular hole (MH) repair.
Method
A total of 69 patients (37 females and 32 males) who underwent primary vitrectomy for MH repair were studied. Nurses recorded whether the patient complied with FDP each time they examined the patient. FDP score was obtained from the nursing records; patients were given a score of 1 if they complied with the FDP and 0 if they did not. The score was recorded four times per day for the first 3 postoperative days. A perfect FDP score was 12.
Results
The mean ± standard deviation of the FDP scores was 10.6±1.8 (range: 4–12). Overall, 32 (46.4%) patients scored a perfect 12, and 7 (10.1%) patients scored <8. Failure of the MH closure was observed in only one patient (1.4%), who showed the poorest adherence to FDP (score =4). Consequently, the closure rate in patients with FDP score <7 (2/3, 66.7%) was significantly lower than in patients with an FDP score ≥7 (66/66, 100%) (P<0.05, Fisher’s exact probability test).
Conclusion
While adherence to FDP after MH surgery was better than that observed after vitrectomy for rhegmatogenous retinal detachments in our previous study, the percentage of patients with FDP scores <8 did not differ. Statistically, the poor adherence to FDP can negatively impact the effectiveness of the surgery for MH repair.
Acknowledgments
The dataset supporting the findings of this study is available upon request from Yoshiaki Shimada, MD (e-mail: [email protected]). A part of this study was presented at the 8th Asia Pacific Vitreo-retina Society Congress 2013.12.7, Nagoya, Japan, as a poster presentation.
Author contributions
Shimada drafted the manuscript; Seno and Mizuguchi were responsible for data acquisition; Tanikawa and Horiguchi performed the surgery. All authors contributed toward data analysis, drafting and critically revising the paper and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.
Disclosure
The authors report no other conflicts of interests in this work.