Statin use and vitreoretinal surgery: Findings from a Finnish population-based cohort study.

PURPOSE

Vitreoretinal (VR) surgery is the third most common intraocular surgery after refractive and cataract surgery. The impact of statin therapy on VR surgery outcomes remains unclear, despite a potentially beneficial effect. We explored the association of preoperative statin therapy and the need for revitrectomy after primary vitrectomy.

METHODS

Our historical, population-based, register-based, VR surgery cohort consisted of 5709 patients operated in a tertiary, academic referral hospital in Finland, during 2008-2014, covering 6.5 years. Subgroup analysis was performed as follows: eyes operated due to (i) rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD), (ii) VR interface diseases (macular pucker/hole), (iii) diabetic maculopathy or proliferative retinopathy, (iv) vitreous haemorrhage, (v) lens subluxation, (vi) vitreous opacities or (vii) other VR indication. The primary end-point event was revitrectomy during a postoperative follow-up period of 1 year due to retinal redetachment, vitreous rehaemorrhage, postoperative endophthalmitis, recurrent pucker or unclosed macular hole.

RESULTS

Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) was the second most frequent indication of VR surgery, including 1916 patients, with 305 re-operations with rate 0.20 (95% CI 0.18-0.23) per person-year. Statin treatment in time of operation was associated with lower risk of re-operation according to relative scale (incidence rate ratio 0.72, 95% CI 0.53-0.97), but not in absolute scale (incidence rate difference -0.58, 95% CI -4.30 to 3.15 for 100 person-years). No association with statin therapy and vitrectomy outcome was observed in the other VR subgroups.

CONCLUSION

Use of statin treatment was associated with a 28% lower risk of revitrectomy in patients operated due to RRD. Further randomized clinical trials are highly warranted.