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Laser retinopexy lowers post-vitrectomy retinal detachment rate, study finds
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Performing 360° laser retinopexy after vitrectomy may offer a safe option in preventing postoperative retinal detachment, a retrospective study suggests.
Hyoung J. Koh, MD, and colleagues reviewed outcomes for 220 patients who underwent vitrectomy for vitreal or macular diseases other than retinal detachment between July 1999 and January 2003.
Of the 220 patients, 115 had received 360° laser retinopexy, which was applied as three rows of medium-white burns placed anteriorly to the equator. Investigators compared these patients with a control group of 105 patients who did not receive laser retinopexy, according to the study.
Both groups had similar baseline characteristics, the authors noted.
Investigators found that the laser retinopexy group had a roughly 74% lower incidence of postoperative retinal detachment — 3.5% compared with 13.3% for controls (P = .03), according to the study.
"Considering the vision-threatening nature of retinal detachment, this adjunctive treatment should be considered to be used in vitrectomy procedures," the authors said, noting that they identified no apparent adverse effects.
The study is published in the July/August issue of Retina.