Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment associated with posterior vitreous detachment

Ophthalmology. 2011;118(7):1429-1434.

A majority of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment cases were associated with posterior vitreous detachment and related tractional tears, a large study found.

“The proportion of PVD-related [rhegmatogenous retinal detachment] seems to be higher than previously reported,” the study authors said. “Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment cases without PVD are younger and more myopic and have a higher prevalence of vitreoretinal degeneration.”

Data were culled from the Scottish Retinal Detachment Study, a prospective epidemiologic analysis of all primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) cases presenting to vitreoretinal centers in Scotland between 2007 and 2009.

The study included 1,202 cases of RRD; data on clinical features of RRD were available for 1,130 cases.

Results showed that RRD was attributed to horseshoe tear associated with posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) in 86.2% of cases, giant retinal tear and PVD in 1.3%, non-PVD round hole in 4.9%, retinal dialysis in 5.9% and retinoschisis RRD in 1.6%.

Ocular trauma was reported in 10.3% of cases; 20.2% of cases were pseudophakic.

A majority of cases were attributed to more than one retinal break; the macula was affected in more than 50% of cases. Posterior vitreous detachment was present in 87.6% of cases.

RRD with round hole not associated with PVD was identified in younger and more myopic subjects, the authors reported.