[Results of treating rhegmatogenous retinal detachment with vitrectomy and silicone oil tamponade].

INTRODUCTION

Silicone oil is used in the treatment of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment when there is a high risk of postoperative proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR). This type of internal tamponade can be responsible for serious side effects. Removal of silicone oil is necessary to ensure a long-lasting functional result. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the results of using a transient internal tamponade with silicone oil.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A retrospective review of cases of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment treated with internal tamponade with silicone oil for the first time in a 1-year period (January 2001 to December 2001) was conducted. We studied the type of retinal detachment, treatment before vitrectomy and silicone oil tamponade, indication for silicone oil tamponade, surgical steps and their results, causes of recurrent retinal detachment, and final visual acuity. Anatomical success was defined as a reattached retina after silicone oil removal.

RESULTS

Ninety-three patients were included. Anatomical success was achieved, after one or several procedures, in 71 patients (76.3%). The mean total number of surgical procedures was 2.6. After initial surgery, recurrence of retinal detachment after removal of silicone oil occurred in 17.0% of the cases. Recurrence of retinal detachment under silicone oil occurred in 45.1% of the cases; the cause of the recurrence was PVR in 97.6% of those patients. No serious complication of silicone oil tamponade occurred. The mean duration of the tamponade was 6.7 months. The best results were achieved among patients showing no recurrence with silicone oil: visual acuity above 4/200 in 84.6% of the patients, above 20/200 in 61.5% of the patients and above 80/200 in 20.5% of the patients. In case of recurrence with silicone oil treatment, visual acuity reached 4/200 in 70.4% of the patients and was above 20/200 in 25.9% of the patients.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

The results of this study are equivalent to those of studies in which analysis was made after removal of silicone oil. Proliferative vitreoretinopathy remains the only risk factor of retinal detachment recurrence with silicone oil (p<0.01). The number of previous surgeries is not a risk factor for postoperative PVR. Retinectomy is a surgical procedure that seems to improve the results in cases of severe PVR.