Abstract
Purpose :
In the treatment of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD), prone position can be shortened by selecting air instead of long-acting gasses, but appropriate tamponade selection criteria for safe and effective are required. We have earlier established air tamponade selection criteria (i.e., patients undergoing treatment within 2 weeks of RRD onset; patients with no giant retinal tears and no history of cataract surgery complications; patients without high myopia [axial length > 26.5 mm or spherical equivalent < −6.0 D]; and patients with proliferative vitreoretinopathy classified as grade ≤ B) for the treatment of RRD and have retrospectively verified that both sulfur hexafluoride gas (SF6) and air exhibit same therapeutic effects (American Academy of Ophthalmology 2019). This prospective study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of our air tamponade selection criteria.
Methods :
Design:Prospective study.
We included a total of 26 eyes (air group) of 26 patients who underwent vitrectomy for RRD at the Yamagata University Hospital between June 2019 and October 2019 and who met the inclusion criteria mentioned as above for air tamponade selection. To confirm the effectiveness of air tamponade, these 26 eyes were compared with 138 eyes of 136 patients who had undergone treatment with SF6 gas (SF6 group).
Results :
The half-time of intraocular gas was shorter in the air group than in the SF6 group (4.77 ± 0.71 days vs. 7.79 ± 1.47 days; P < 0.01). Initial recovery rates were similar between the air group (100%) and the SF6 group (96.4%) (P = 0.595). The incidence rate of postoperative ocular hypertension was lower in the air group than in the SF6 group (26.9% vs. 62.32%; P < 0.01).
Conclusions :
There was no difference in the therapeutic effect between the air and SF6 groups on the basis of air tamponade selection criteria. However, air tamponade was associated with a shorter position restriction period and fewer complications than gas tamponade, indicating the safety and effectiveness of air tamponade according to our established criteria.
This is a 2020 ARVO Annual Meeting abstract.