This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Silicone oil may be removed up to 1 year after retinal detachment surgery
Removal of silicone oil after retinal detachment surgery may be extended up to 1 year in cases with a high risk of redetachment, according to a study.
The retrospective case analysis involved 32 cases that were considered to have a high risk of redetachment after silicone oil removal. All patients had undergone pars plana vitrectomy and silicone oil injection.
Eighteen cases were phakic, and 14 cases were pseudophakic. Mean postoperative follow-up was 18 months.
Silicone oil was used in 12 complicated retinal detachment cases associated with advanced proliferative vitreoretinopathy and in 20 rhegmatogenous detachment cases without significant proliferative vitreoretinopathy.
Visual acuity increased after removal of silicone oil (P = .021).
The mean time to silicone oil emulsification was 13.2 months (range: 5 months to 24 months). Silicone oil emulsification occurred within the first year for all cases except two; emulsification in those cases was not observed until month 24.