MOUND-LIKE EPIRETINAL MATERIAL: ITS SHORT-TERM CHANGES AND ASSOCIATION WITH POSTERIOR VITREOUS DETACHMENT MOUND-LIKE EPIRETINAL MATERIAL.

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study was to describe clinical characteristics of a retinal finding termed mound-like epiretinal material (MOLEM) and distinguish it from epiretinal proliferation, a similar epiretinal finding previously described in various pathologic studies.

Methods: Five eyes from five patients were retrospectively identified from medical records. Clinical findings and images, including fundus photographs and optical coherence tomography, were reviewed.

Results: All eyes displayed mound-like material with uniform and low-to-moderate reflectivity on an otherwise intact retinal surface detected on optical coherence tomography. No eyes presented with concurrent pathology typically observed in cases of epiretinal proliferation, such as lamellar/full-thickness macular hole, epiretinal membrane, vitreomacular traction, or uveitis. Two eyes exhibited central serous chorioretinopathy, but there was no association of MOLEM with serous retinal detachment. In three of five eyes, MOLEM appeared simultaneously with posterior vitreous detachment. Some lesions underwent irregular transformations over months and occasionally disappeared. While all cases were monitored without intervention, no visual decline or complications attributed to MOLEM were detected.

Conclusion: Mound-like epiretinal material represents a novel clinical finding, characterized by transient morphological changes without symptoms and a potential association with posterior vitreous detachment. It may occur in eyes lacking macular diseases linked with epiretinal proliferation, a similar yet distinct lesion. The incidence, etiology, and clinical significance of MOLEM warrant further investigation by accumulating comparable cases, although the lesion appears benign and self-limiting.