Immunohistochemical Analysis of the Internal Limiting Membrane Peeled With Infracyanine Green

To investigate whether the peeled internal limiting membrane (ILM) contains cellular retinal cell fragments, and to learn more about their possible origin. Experimental study. ILM peeled from ten eyes during vitrectomy by infracyanine green (ICG) was studied immunohistochemically using the markers: GFAP, S-100, and vimentin. Five ILM specimens were from eyes with diabetic macular edema (DME), two from eyes with a macular hole, and three from eyes with persisting macular edema after retinal detachment surgery. In eight of the ten ILM specimens, we found GFAP-positive staining, indicating the presence of remnants of footplates from Müller cells or glial cells. Two ILM specimens were positive for S-100, indicating the presence of neural cells or ganglion cells. ILM peeled from the retina during vitrectomy using ICG may contain remnants of Müller cell footplates, neural cells, and ganglion cells.