[Treatment of primary retinal detachment. Minimal extraocular or intraocular?]

The developments in treatment modalities for a primary retinal detachment over the last 70 years have been reviewed. There was a change from a surgery limited to the area of the break to a form of prophylactic surgery including the extent of the detachment. In between Rosengren had limited the treatment to the break with an intraocular gas bubble. A change was brought about by Custodis in 1953 who limited surgery to the break and omitted drainage. This procedure had serious postoperative complications which were eliminated by Lincoff by developing the cryosurgical detachment operation which was subsequently refined to extraocular minimal surgery. The ultimate realization of a minimal extraocular approach was the operation with a temporary balloon. Two additional intraocular procedures evolved, pneumatic retinopexy and primary vitrectomy, following one or the other pattern of treatment. With all four methods reattachment can result in 94-99% of the cases but differences can be seen in the morbidity and rate of reoperations.