Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34282240›Full record

Observational studyScientific reports2021

Outer retinal tubulation formation and clinical course of advanced age-related macular degeneration.

Alessandro Arrigo, Emanuela Aragona, Ottavia Battaglia, Andrea Saladino, Alessia Amato, Federico Borghesan, Adelaide Pina, Francesca Calcagno, Rashid Hassan Farah, Francesco Bandello and 1 more

Open access · goldAbstract readObservational Study
In one paragraph

Observational study in Scientific reports, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
12citing papers in PubMed
1.9field-weighted citation impact, top 15% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

12 citing papers in PubMed, 20 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. Review
  3. Review
  4. Imaging biomarkers and artificial intelligence for diagnosis, prediction, and therapy of macular fibrosis in age-related macular degeneration: Narrative review and future directions.Graefe's archive for clinical and experimental ophthalmology = Albrecht von Graefes Archiv fur klinische und experimentelle Ophthalmologie · 2025
    Review
  5. Article
  6. Review
  7. Review
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Mutational Profile and Retinal Phenotypes ofJournal of ophthalmology · 2024
    Article
  11. Article
  12. A novel mutation ofInternational journal of ophthalmology · 2022
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Alessandro ArrigoDepartment of Ophthalmology, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Insititute, via Olgettina 60, 20132, Milan, Italy. alessandro.arrigo@hotmail.com.
Emanuela AragonaDepartment of Ophthalmology, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Insititute, via Olgettina 60, 20132, Milan, Italy.
Ottavia BattagliaDepartment of Ophthalmology, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Insititute, via Olgettina 60, 20132, Milan, Italy.
Andrea SaladinoDepartment of Ophthalmology, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Insititute, via Olgettina 60, 20132, Milan, Italy.
Alessia AmatoDepartment of Ophthalmology, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Insititute, via Olgettina 60, 20132, Milan, Italy.
Federico BorghesanDepartment of Ophthalmology, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Insititute, via Olgettina 60, 20132, Milan, Italy.
Adelaide PinaDepartment of Ophthalmology, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Insititute, via Olgettina 60, 20132, Milan, Italy.
Francesca CalcagnoDepartment of Ophthalmology, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Insititute, via Olgettina 60, 20132, Milan, Italy.
Rashid Hassan FarahDepartment of Ophthalmology, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Insititute, via Olgettina 60, 20132, Milan, Italy.
Francesco BandelloDepartment of Ophthalmology, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Insititute, via Olgettina 60, 20132, Milan, Italy.
Maurizio Battaglia ParodiDepartment of Ophthalmology, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Insititute, via Olgettina 60, 20132, Milan, Italy.
Istituti di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico · ITVita-Salute San Raffaele University · ITIstituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico San Raffaele

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Outer retinal tubulations (ORT) are a relatively new finding characterizing outer retinal atrophy. The main aim of the present study was to describe ORT development in advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and to assess its relationship with disease's severity. Patients with advanced AMD characterized either by macular neovascularization or geographic atrophy, showing signs of outer retinal disruption or retinal pigment epithelium atrophy on structural optical coherence tomography (OCT) at the inclusion examination were prospectively recruited. All the patients underwent complete ophthalmologic evaluation, structural OCT scans and fundus autofluorescence imaging. The planned follow-up was of 3-years. Main outcome measures were ORT prevalence, mechanism of ORT formation, mean time needed for complete ORT formation, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), definitely decreased autofluorescence (DDAF) area, questionably decreased autofluorescence (QDAF) area, retinal layer thickness, foveal sparing, number of intravitreal injections. We also assessed the possible role of external limiting membrane (ELM) and Müller cells in ORT pathogenesis. Seventy eyes (70 patients) were included; 43 showed dry AMD evolving to geographic atrophy, while 27 displayed the features of wet AMD. Baseline BCVA was 0.5 ± 0.5 LogMAR, decreasing to 0.9 ± 0.5 LogMAR at the 3-year follow-up (p < 0.01). We detected completely formed ORT in 26/70 eyes (37%), subdivided as follows: 20 eyes (77%) wet AMD and 6 eyes (23%) dry AMD (p < 0.01). ORT took 18 ± 8 months (range 3-35 months) to develop fully. We described the steps leading to ORT development, characterized by progressive involvement of, and damage to the photoreceptors, the ELM and the RPE. Eyes displaying ORT were associated with a smaller QDAF area, less retinal layers damage and lower rate of foveal sparing than eyes free of ORT (p < 0.01). We also described pigment accumulations simulating ORT, which were detected in 16/70 eyes (23%), associated with a greater loss of foveal sparing, increased DDAF area and smaller QDAF area at the 3-year follow-up (p < 0.01). In conclusion, this study provided a description of the steps leading to ORT development in AMD. ELM and Müller cells showed a role in ORT pathogenesis. Furthermore, we described a subtype of pigment hypertrophy mimicking ORT, evaluating its clinical utility.

Indexed as

AgedAged, 80 and overDisease ProgressionFemaleFluorescein AngiographyFollow-Up StudiesGeographic AtrophyHumansItalyMacular DegenerationMaleRetinaTomography, Optical CoherenceVisual AcuityWet Macular Degeneration

Identifiers

PMID34282240
PMCPMC8289974
OpenAlexW3184215006

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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 OpenQuestion graph.