Abstract
Purpose :
To examine safety, effectiveness and ease of use of a novel instrument, the intra-ocular diathermy forceps, during vitrectomy for diabetic tractional retinal detachment.
Methods :
Prospective single-centre case series of 5 patients (5 eyes) with diabetic tractional retinal detachments, treated by vitrectomy with use of intra-ocular diathermy forceps.
Results :
The intra-ocular diathermy forceps demonstrated their dual function: peeling and coagulation. They were used as end-gripping forceps for delamination of fibrovascular membranes and as diathermy for coagulation of bleeding points, fibrovascular membranes before segmentation and borders of retinal breaks. Coagulation was continuously available inside the eye, without the need to exchange instruments. There were no instances of haemorrhage that could not be controlled with the diathermy forceps. Closure of blood vessels, by compression between the forceps jaws, coagulated them effectively. Coagulation was also successful without complete jaw closure, which prevented tissue sticking to the forceps and allowed better visualization between the forceps jaws and control of coagulation. There were no cases of postoperative vitreous cavity haemorrhage during 4 weeks’ follow-up.
Conclusions :
In this first study in human subjects, the intra-ocular diathermy forceps demonstrated its dual function, safety, effectiveness and ease of use, in vitrectomy for diabetic tractional retinal detachment.
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2018 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Honolulu, Hawaii, April 29 - May 3, 2018.