[Submacular fluid after surgery for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment].

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the accumulation of submacular fluid after surgery for retinal detachment.

METHODS

It was a case control study. Sixty seven eyes of sixty six patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment which had undergone par plana vitrectomy (PPV) or buckle surgery for retinal detachment were recruited. All patients underwent clinical examination, optical coherence tomography (OCT) scan of the macular at the 1-month postoperative follow-up examination.

RESULTS

Submacular fluid after PPV occurred in 21.7% eyes, and was significantly lower than that after buckle surgery(47.7%, chi2 = 4.296, P < 0.05). No significantly differences of submacular fluid rate were found between different surgical technique groups (cryotherapy, transscleral diode photocoagulation, with or without drainage of subretinal fluid) in our buckle surgery series (chi2 = 0.091, 1.588; P > 0.05). There was statistically significant difference in the rate of submacular fluid in cases of buckle surgery series with or without macular detachment (chi2 = 9.537, P < 0.01). Visual acuity improved for 2 lines or more accounted for 80.8% eyes in patients with submacular fluid and for 80.1% eyes in patients without submacular fluid. Comparison of pre- and postoperative LogMAR between these two groups showed no significant difference (F = 0.162, P = 0.688).

CONCLUSIONS

The rate of submacular fluid is much lower after PPV than after buckle surgery. Different surgical techniques used in buckle surgery such as cryotherapy or transscleral diode photocoagulation and with or without drainage of subretinal fluid do not influence the rate of postoperative submacular fluid. The rate of submacular fluid is much lower in eyes without macular detachment than in eyes with macular detachment in buckle surgery series.