Management of giant retinal tears without scleral buckling. Use of radical dissection of the vitreous base and perfluoro-octane and intraocular tamponade.

The introduction of intraoperative perfluorocarbon liquids in the management of giant retinal tears has allowed exact anatomic reapposition of the retina and the giant retinal tear. Therefore, the authors managed 11 eyes with giant retinal tears and no proliferative vitreoretinopathy without scleral buckling. Maximum removal of the basal vitreous gel was performed in all cases, and perfluoro-octane was used intraoperatively to unfold the inverted posterior flap and reattach the retina completely. Endophotocoagulation was applied to the edges of the tear and perfluoropropane or silicone oil was used as an intraocular tamponade. Although 1 eye required reoperation for a redetachment from posterior proliferative vitreoretinopathy, all retinas were reattached with final visual acuity of 5/200 or better in 9 eyes. Eight additional major procedures were necessary in seven eyes: removal of silicone oil in four (with removal of perisilicone proliferation in three), repeat vitrectomy and membrane removal with photocoagulation twice in one eye, cataract extraction in one eye, and removal of a macular pucker in one eye. Four eyes required postoperative fluid-gas exchange and three eyes had tissue plasminogen activator injections into the anterior chamber for postoperative fibrin reactions.