[Should associated intraoperative and/or postoperative photocoagulation be systematic during or after vitrectomy for...

To analyze the results of vitrectomy in proliferative diabetic vitreoretinopathy and to check whether systematic intra- and/or postoperative photocoagulation is necessary in most cases.

We retrospectively reviewed 108 patient records (137 eyes) of vitrectomy performed for complications of proliferative diabetic vitreoretinopathy between 1982 and 2000. Fifty-eight percent of the patients were women. The average age was 44 years. Sixty percent of the patients presented with diabetes type 1. Only 39% of the eyes had complete preoperative panretinal photocoagulation. Preoperative visual acuity was lower than 2/200 in 81% of eyes, 27% presenting initially with traction retinal detachment involving the macula. The surgical technique used was segmentation-delamination. Endodiathermy was necessary in 45% of the eyes and intraoperative photocoagulation was not performed. Postoperative complementary photocoagulation was carried out in only 9% of the eyes.

Results were analyzed with an average follow-up of 66 months. Anatomical success was obtained in 69% of the eyes, with 55% visual improvement. These results were unchanging at long-term follow-up in 95% of the eyes studied. Iatrogenic retinal breaks were observed in 8% of the eyes. Postoperative complications were dominated by single (8%) or recurrent vitreous hemorrhage (8%). The rate of postoperative neovascular glaucoma was approximately 5%. These results are similar to the rates reported by other authors using intraoperative endophotocoagulation.

Intra- and/or postoperative photocoagulation should not be systematic but reserved for management of iatrogenic retinal breaks and also for extensive panretinal photocoagulation in recurrent vitreous hemorrhage.