Therapeutic ultrasound in the treatment of retinal detachment: clinical observations and light and electron microscopy.

Osmotically-induced retinal detachments were created in rabbit eyes and treated with therapeutic ultrasound. Control eyes showed spontaneous retinal reattachment after ten days (range, 8-10 days), while eyes treated with therapeutic ultrasound showed retinal reattachment in a shorter time (average, 4.5 days). Light and electron microscopy demonstrates at least three major differences in the ultrasound-treated eyes compared to the controls. These findings are evidence of an earlier retinal reattachment, a stronger chorioretinal adhesion, less damage and faster repair in the ultrasound-treated retina than in the control retina. This method of producing chorioretinal adhesions may have applications in certain types of retinal detachments where choroidal thickness or vitreous opacity preclude conventional cryopexy, diathermy or photocoagulation techniques.