Primary vitrectomy without scleral buckling successful in treating certain retinal detachment cases

Pseudophakic rhegmatogenous retinal detachment cases showed effective results and limited complications after undergoing primary vitrectomy without scleral buckling, a prospective study found.

Efstratios Mendrinos, MD, and colleagues studied 100 eyes of 98 patients with pseudophakic rhegmatogenous retinal detachment who had primary vitrectomy without scleral buckling. Retinas were successfully reattached by one surgery in 92 of the eyes, the researchers found. After treatment for complications, only three eyes were unsuccessful cases, with 97% of eyes showing final anatomic success.

"Primary vitrectomy without scleral buckling provides a high anatomic success rate in eyes with [pseudophakic rhegmatogenous retinal detachment] and is associated with few complications," the study authors said.

The most common postoperative complication was ocular hypertonia of more than 21 mm Hg in 36 eyes, which was successfully treated. Complications also included retinal detachment reoccurring in eight eyes, caused by proliferative vitreoretinopathy in six eyes and by new breaks in two eyes. A mean of 1.75 subsequent operations reattached the retina in those cases, the study authors said. Three eyes required permanent silicone oil tamponade.

The study was published in the June issue of American Journal of Ophthalmology.