Efficacy of the Semicircular Inverted Internal Limiting Membrane Flap Technique for Macular Hole Retinal Detachment in Hyperopic Eyes: A Case Series
We report anatomical and functional outcomes for three hyperopic phakic women with macular hole retinal detachment (MHRD) treated using a superiorly based semicircular inverted internal limiting membrane (ILM) flap. All patients underwent 25-gauge pars plana vitrectomy with Brilliant Blue G-assisted ILM manipulation, inversion of a superior semicircular flap to cover the macular hole, and 20% sulfur hexafluoride (SF₆) tamponade. Postoperative assessment included decimal best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT). All eyes achieved immediate macular hole closure, and complete retinal reattachment was attained after 18-24 months. Final BCVA improved in two eyes (from 0.1 to 0.4) and remained 0.2 in one eye, underscoring delayed but meaningful recovery in hyperopic MHRD treated with a semicircular inverted ILM flap. OCT demonstrated stepwise foveal restoration with variable ellipsoid zone/external limiting membrane (ELM/EZ) integrity across cases, and no intraoperative complications, macular hole reopening, or recurrent detachment were observed. These findings indicate that in hyperopic MHRD, a semicircular inverted ILM flap is feasible and mechanically reliable for early hole closure, while SRF absorption and functional recovery may require prolonged follow-up, likely reflecting the timeline of outer-retinal reconstruction.
Authors
- Hirokazu Sakaguchi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0631-9242)
- M. Kubota (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2314-8767)
- Toshio Hisatomi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2552-9595)
- M. Inuzuka
- Norifumi Takaki
Institutions
- Hiroshima University (JP)
- Kyushu University (JP)
- Kubota (Japan) (JP)
- Gifu University of Medical Science (JP)
- Gifu University (JP)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Cureus
- Published
- 2025-09-24
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.93149
- Primary Topic
- Retinal and Macular Surgery
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Santen