ArticleOphthalmology science2026
Ultrastructural Findings of the Internal Limiting Membrane with and without Epiretinal Membrane: A Comparative Electron Microscopy Study.
Article in Ophthalmology science, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Purpose: To describe and compare the histopathological and ultrastructural findings of the internal limiting membrane (ILM) with and without epiretinal membrane (ERM), and investigate differences between idiopathic and secondary ERM, using light and transmission electron microscopy. Design: Cross-sectional analytical study, with pathologists and image assessors masked to clinical and imaging information. Participants: Consecutive participants undergoing pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) with peeling of ILM, ERM, or both were enrolled. One eye per participant was included. Methods: Specimens were collected intraoperatively following a standardized protocol and analyzed for cellular morphology, extracellular matrix composition, and ultrastructural alterations. Fisher exact test and unpaired Main Outcome Measures: Cellular and extracellular matrix ultrastructural features and their associations with clinical characteristics and imaging findings. Results: A total of 107 eyes (90 ILM with ERM; 17 ILM without ERM) from 117 participants were analyzed. Mean age was 64.4 ± 10.9 years, and 59.8% were female. Internal limiting membrane with ERM exhibited cellular proliferation with fibrous astrocytes, fibroblasts, myofibroblasts, fibrocytes, and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells, accompanied by extracellular matrix remodeling and newly formed collagen. Common ultrastructural features included ILM vacuolization, Müller cell fragments, electron-lucent bands, and disorganized collagen fibrils. Intraocular lens implantation (incidence rate ratio [IRR] = 0.333, Conclusions: This study provides a comparative ultrastructural assessment of ILM and ERM, revealing distinct differences between idiopathic and secondary ERM. These findings suggest differing underlying biological processes that merit future mechanistic investigation. According to fibrocellular changes reported, macular disruption observed on OCT in older eyes may indicate susceptibility to secondary ERM, raising the possibility, yet to be validated, that ILM peeling during PPV for other indications could offer prophylactic benefit. Financial Disclosures: The author has no/the authors have no proprietary or commercial interest in any materials discussed in this article.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.