Abstract
Purpose: :
To evaluate the efficacy of air tamponade after vitrectomy for the treatment of uncomplicated rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD)
Methods: :
Retrospective case series of 24 eyes affected by RRD due to a single (12 eyes) or multiple (12 eyes) retinal breaks. The treatment comprised 20-gauge complete vitrectomy, air tamponade, retinopexy, 24-hour postoperative positioning.
Results: :
The retina was flattened after a single intervention in 21 eyes (87,5%). The observed three cases of RRD recurrence, successfully reoperated with silicone oil tamponade. Complications included 1 macular pucker, 4 cases of corneal striae (slowly disappeared after up to 100 days), cataract progression in 9/16 eyes, and 1 case of iris atrophy.
Conclusions: :
Air tamponade and 24-hour positioning resulted effective for the treatment of uncomplicated RRD. The air tamponade permits a great shortening of postoperative positioning with the obvious consequent advantages.
Keywords: clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: treatment/prevention assessment/controlled clinical trials • vitreoretinal surgery • retinal detachment