Current visual and anatomic outcomes of pneumatic retinopexy

To assess current visual and anatomic outcomes of pneumatic retinopexy (PR) for the repair of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RD).

Retrospective chart review of 150 patients who underwent PR for RD between January 2000 and February 2005. Patients with a history of scleral buckling, Lincoff balloon, or proliferative diabetic retinopathy in the same eye were excluded.

Successful reattachment was achieved in 76.7% with a single procedure and 98.7% after additional procedures. A total of 17.3% underwent a subsequent procedure for a new or persistent tear. The success rate remained consistent in pseudophakic and aphakic eyes, and eyes with traumatic detachments, macular detachment, multiple breaks, poor preoperative visual acuity (VA) (<20/50), superior and inferior lattice degeneration, >or=6 clock hours of detachment, and prior pars plana vitrectomy. A total of 2.7% of eyes underwent a second additional procedure for RD. A total of 32% of males versus 15.3% of females underwent an additional procedure for RD (P = 0.07). Final VA >or=20/50 was achieved in 80.8% of macula-on and 73.6% of macula-off RDs. Of eyes that underwent an additional procedure, final VA >or=20/50 was achieved in 63.2% of macula-on and 43.8% of macula-off RDs, and those with macula-on RD lost a mean of 1.79 (+/-4.9) lines of Snellen VA, while those with macula-off RD gained a mean of 5.6 (+/-4.6) lines (P = 0.00006).

: PR had a high anatomic success rate in eyes with a wide variety of complicated RDs. Male sex may be a risk factor for failed PR. Careful monitoring and treatment of postoperative tears is important in preventing redetachment.