Choroidal detachment after vitreous surgery

To study the frequency and clinical features of choroidal detachment (CD) after vitreous surgery, because there have been no reports on this problem.

We studied the clinical features of 14 patients (15 eyes) with CD from a total of 380 patients treated with vitrectomy at the Nagasaki University Hospital from January 1994 to August 1997.

The incidence of CD after vitreous surgery was 3.9% (15/380). The reasons for vitrectomy were 6 retinal detachments, 4 proliferative diabetic retinopathies, and 5 others. During vitrectomy, 4 eyes were treated with scleral buckling, 11 with endolaser photocoagulation, and 3 with cryoretinopexy. Retinal detachment as a postoperative complication was seen in 8 patients, and in 5 of them the retina remained detached after the final treatment.

CD may be caused by scleral buckling, panphotocoagulation, or stress on the ciliary body. Some patients with CD have a poor outcome.