Purpose: 

To investigate demographic and clinical factors influencing the longitudinal changes of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) dehiscence area after RPE tears, including the presence of RPE tear-associated repair proliferation (TARP), and identify factors associated with TARP development over follow-up.

Methods: 

Retrospective, single-center, observational cohort study of patients with a history of macular neovascularization and RPE tear. The area of RPE dehiscence was measured on repeated short-wavelength fundus autofluorescence imaging. Associations between covariates and RPE dehiscence areas were tested with multivariable linear mixed models. Associations between TARP development and clinical variables were investigated with Cox regression models. Factors associated with visual acuity changing rates were explored with linear mixed models.

Results: 

Thirty-seven eyes of 36 patients were included in this study and followed for a median time of 18 months. Tear-associated repair proliferation was identified in 27 eyes (73%). The median time for TARP detection was 112 days; none of the investigated factors was significantly associated with TARP occurrence. The presence of TARP (estimate: −0.042 mm²/month; P = 0.001) and female gender (estimate: −0.035 mm²/month; P = 0.006) were associated with slower rates of RPE dehiscence enlargement over time. Faster rates of visual improvement were observed in eyes with TARP compared with those without TARP (estimate = −0.010 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution/month if TARP was present; P = 0.008).

Conclusion: 

Retinal pigment epithelium tear repair with TARP and female gender were associated with slower RPE degeneration after RPE tears. The presence of TARP was associated better visual prognosis. Additional research on factors promoting TARP development may have therapeutic and prognostic implications.

中文翻译：

---

视网膜色素上皮泪液眼修复组织增殖的临床关联和预后意义

目的： 

调查影响 RPE 撕裂后视网膜色素上皮 (RPE) 裂开区域纵向变化的人口统计学和临床​​因素，包括 RPE 撕裂相关修复增殖 (TARP) 的存在，并确定与 TARP 发展相关的因素。

方法： 

对有黄斑新生血管和 RPE 撕裂病史的患者进行的回顾性、单中心、观察性队列研究。在重复的短波长眼底自发荧光成像上测量 RPE 裂开的面积。用多变量线性混合模型测试协变量和 RPE 开裂区域之间的关联。使用 Cox 回归模型研究了 TARP 发展和临床变量之间的关联。使用线性混合模型探索与视力变化率相关的因素。

结果： 

本研究纳入了 36 名患者的 37 只眼，中位随访时间为 18 个月。在 27 只眼 (73%) 中发现了与泪液相关的修复增殖。TARP 检测的中位时间为 112 天；没有一个被调查的因素与 TARP 的发生显着相关。TARP（估计值：-0.042 mm ² /月；P = 0.001）和女性（估计值：-0.035 mm ² /月；P = 0.006）的存在与 RPE 裂开扩大率随时间变慢有关。与没有 TARP 的人相比，在有 TARP 的眼睛中观察到更快的视觉改善率（如果存在 TARP，估计值 = -0.010 最小分辨率角度的对数/月；P = 0.008）。

结论： 

用 TARP 修复视网膜色素上皮细胞撕裂和女性与 RPE 撕裂后 RPE 退化较慢有关。TARP 的存在与更好的视觉预后相关。对促进 TARP 发展的因素的进一步研究可能具有治疗和预后意义。