Benson T. O. Cheung

Primary 23-gauge transconjunctival sutureless vitrectomy for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment.

Purpose: To describe the results of primary 23-gauge transconjunctival sutureless vitrectomy for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD). Methods: In a prospective case series, 24 eyes of 24 consecutive patients with RRD underwent primary 23-gauge transconjunctival pars plana vitrectomy with intraocular gas tamponade. Postoperative follow-up ranged from 6 months to 16 months. Results: Fifteen eyes (62.5%) had multiple breaks. Seven eyes (29.2%) had inferior breaks. Other complications included giant tear in one eye, peripheral choroidal detachment in one eye, and concomitant macular holes in two eyes. The primary anatomical success rate was 91.7%. The mean postoperative visual acuity at postoperative month 3 improved from 20/41 to 20/25 (P = 0.111) and from 20/735 to 20/56 (P < 0.0001) in macula-on and macula-off cases, respectively. One patient (4.2%) had hypotony on postoperative day 1. No patients developed choroidal detachments. No sutures were used in any of the sclerotomy sites. Of the patients, 87.5% reported no or mild foreign body sensation, whereas 79.1% reported no or mild pain on the first postoperative day. Conclusions: Twenty-three–gauge transconjunctival sutureless vitrectomy appears to be a feasible option in treating RRD in selected cases, with the potential benefit of reducing postoperative ocular irritation.

Results of high‐density silicone oil as a tamponade agent in macular hole retinal detachment in patients with high myopia

Background: To evaluate the use of high-density silicone oil (HDSO) as a tamponade agent for retinal detachment secondary to myopic macular hole. Methods: 12 eyes of 12 patients with macular hole retinal detachment underwent pars plana vitrectomy, internal limiting membrane peeling and HDSO tamponade. No posturing was required postoperatively and HDSO was removed 3–4 months later. Outcome measures included macular hole closure and retinal attachment rates, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), and intraoperative and postoperative complications. Results: The mean age of the patients was 67.8 years and the mean spherical equivalent refractive error was −13.4 diopters. After the removal of HDSO, 10 (83%) eyes had macular hole closure with retinal reattachment without any tamponade. One eye had retinal reattachment after re-operation and the other refused further surgery. At the last follow-up, the median BCVA improved from 20/800 to 20/600 (p = 0.046). A transient increase in intraocular pressure was observed in 5 (42%) eyes and one eye each developed mild oil emulsification and transient peripheral choroidal detachment. None of the eyes was found to have severe intraocular inflammation postoperatively. Conclusions: HDSO seemed to be an effective tamponade agent for myopic macular hole retinal detachment. Further prospective controlled studies seem warranted.

Retinal Redetachment after Silicone Oil Removal in Proliferative Vitreoretinopathy: A Prognostic Factor Analysis

PURPOSE To determine the prognostic factors associated with retinal redetachment after 1300-centistokes silicone oil removal in rhegmatogenous retinal detachments (RDs) associated with grade C proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR). DESIGN Nonrandomized, retrospective, comparative interventional trial. METHODS One hundred and forty-seven eyes with RD and grade C PVR treated with silicone oil tamponade, with subsequent silicone oil removal, in an institutional setting. Main outcome measures included anatomic success, defined as complete retinal attachment after silicone oil removal, and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) after silicone oil removal. RESULTS Silicone oil was removed after a mean tamponade period of 12.4+/-9.8 months. The mean follow-up after silicone oil removal was 22.1+/-18.7 months (range, 6.0 to 71.0 months). The retina remained attached in 120 eyes after oil removal. The overall anatomic success rate was 81.6%+/-3.2%. Logistic regression showed that an increased number of previous unsuccessful RD surgeries (odds ratio [OR], 0.39; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.19 to 0.80; P=.010) and longer axial lengths (OR, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.15 to 0.87; P=.032) were associated with a lower anatomic success rate. Previous vitrectomy, previous scleral buckling procedure, 12% perfluoropropane-air exchange immediately after silicone oil removal, and duration of silicone oil tamponade were not statistically associated with the anatomic success rate. Anatomic success was associated with a significantly better BCVA (1.169+/-0.475 vs 1.520+/-0.381 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution; P<.001). CONCLUSIONS The number of previous surgeries and axial length, rather than the nature of the previous surgical procedures, were significant prognostic factors for anatomic success after silicone oil removal.

Combined phacoemulsification, pars plana vitrectomy, and foldable intraocular lens implantation.

We describe a technique for combined cataract and vitreoretinal surgery using sutureless sclerocorneal and sclerotomy incisions and a foldable intraocular lens. This technique, with its variations for cases with and without gas-fluid exchange, was successfully performed in 40 consecutive cases over a 5-month period. No significant complications related to the surgical procedures were encountered. The rationale and advantages of this technique are discussed.