Outcomes of Combined Scleral Buckling Plus Pneumatic Retinopexy Vs. Scleral Buckling for Primary Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment

Purpose To evaluate the outcomes and complications of scleral buckle surgery alone or combined with pneumatic retinopexy (pneumatic buckle) for the treatment of primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachment. Design Retrospective chart review. Participants Two hundred thirteen patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment of whom 101 underwent primary scleral buckle surgery at Rabin Medical Center in 2005–2015 (SB group) and 112 underwent pneumatic buckle surgery at Royal Alexandra Hospital in 2013–2015 (PB group). Methods All patients were followed for ≥12 months. Data on clinical and surgical parameters, outcome, and complications were collected from the medical files. Main Outcome Measures Best corrected visual acuity and anatomical outcomes. Results At 12 months, average best corrected visual acuity was 0.3 logMar in the SB group and 0.42 logMar in the PB group ( P < 0.05). Rates of anatomical reattachment were high and similar in the two groups (99% and 97%, respectively, P = 0.623). The SB group had a higher percentage of patients requiring additional laser applications (21% vs. 7%; P < 0.01) and buckle readjustment surgery (6% vs. 0; P = 0.01), and the PB group had a higher percentage of patients who required postoperative pars plana vitrectomy (30% vs. 17%; P = 0.03). Conclusion Scleral buckle surgery alone is efficient for the treatment of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment. Its combination with pneumatic retinopexy usually has no significant added value in terms of anatomical reattachment rate. Outcomes of Pneumatic buckling vs Scleral Buckling for RRD

Management of Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment during COVID-19 Pandemic

Patients with primary Rhuegmatougenous Retinal detachment during COVID-19 pandemic were more likely to present late, have macula involving disease secondary and to show poor visual outcomes. Pneumatic Retinopexy (PR) is a procedure that eliminates the need for admission and limits the duration of contact with patients. Hence, more feasible during periods of shortage in hospital beds and medical personnel in the pandemic. In our experience, we successfully performed pneumatic retinopexy on two confirmed COVID-19 cases with favourable visual outcomes. We would recommend retina surgeons be familiar with such procedure as it may be a good alternative to conventional treatment while minimizing the risk of transmitting COVID-19.

Results of microinvasive combined laser-surgical technology in the treatment of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment

Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) is one of the leading causes of vision loss world-wide. Despite advances in surgical techniques, rates of redetachment and vision loss remain high. Patients with RRD require a secondary surgery approximately 10 – 40% of the time. To achieve a high anatomical result, reduce the risk of reoperations and maintain high visual functions, it is necessary to develop and analyze microinvasive technologies to eliminate the main cause of RRD - the traction component. Purpose. To evaluate the results of microinvasive combined laser-surgical technology for RRD treatment. Material and мethods. The study included 43 eyes of 43 patients who underwent microinvasive laser-surgical technology for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment treatment, which included 3 consecutive steps: 1) YAG-laser excision of the horseshoe tear zone with vitreoretinal adhesion (VRA); 2) pneumatic retinopexy with 12% C3F8 (immediately after the first step); 3) barrier laser photocoagulation after complete retinal attachment (2-3 days after pneumatic retinopexy). The results were evaluated for anatomical efficacy (rates of retinal attachment and the occurrence of recurrent rhegmatogenous retinal detachment), functional efficacy (uncorrected (UCVA) and bestcorrected (BCVA) visual acuity, intraocular pressure (IOP)), and safety of technology (any intra- and postoperative complications). Results. In 40 patients (93%), the retina was attached with one surgical intervention. The success rate was significantly lower in patients with pseudophakia and a large retinal tear after YAG-laser excision of VRA zone. UNCA, BCVA and IOP after microinvasive combined laser-surgical technology was not significantly different from the initial values (p>0,05). Сlinically significant complications included gas migration into the subretinal space and epiretinal membrane formation. Conclusion. Microinvasive combined laser-surgical technology is characterized by high single surgery success rate (93%), preservation of initially high visual functions, a low rate of redetachment (7,5%) and clinically significant complications (7%). Key words: rhegmatogenous retinal detachment, optical coherence tomography, horseshoe tear, YAG-laser retinotomy, pneumatic retinopexy, vitreoretinal traction.