Abstract
Purpose: :
To report the anatomic and visual outcomes of patients with retained submacular perfluorocarbon liquid (PFCL).
Methods: :
Retrospective observational case series of patients with retained submacular PFCL.
Results: :
Eight eyes of 8 patients had retained submacular PFCL after complex retinal detachment repair. The submacular PFCL was surgically removed in one eye and was observed without surgery 7 eyes. In the surgical eye, the PFCL was juxtafoveal in location and had associated cystic macular edema. After surgical removal of the PFCL, visual acuity improved from 20/200 to 20/125 with resolution of the macular edema. The remaining 7 eyes were observed without surgery. Follow-up ranged from 10 months to 9 years, with a mean of 4.3 years. Six eyes had extrafoveal PFCL, with visual acuity ranging from 20/25 to 20/200 and 1 eye had subfoveal PFCL with 20/25 vision. Overall, the visual acuity either improved or remained stable in all 7 eyes. The location of the PFCL remained stable, although in one case, a small PFCL droplet coalesced with a more posteriorly located droplet.
Conclusions: :
Patients with submacular PFCL can remain stable for many years. In patients with significant visual loss, surgical removal of subfoveal PFCL can be considered.
Keywords: retinal detachment • imaging/image analysis: clinical • vitreoretinal surgery