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Submacular fluid after encircling buckle surgery for inferior macula-off retinal detachment in young patients
Hana Abouzeid1, Klio Becker, Frank G Holz
1Jules-Gonin Eye Hospital, University of Lausanne, Switzerland.
Purpose:
Characterization of persistent diffuse subretinal fluid using optical coherence tomography (OCT) after successful encircling buckle surgery for inferior macula-off retinal detachment in young patients.
Methods:
Institutional retrospective review of six young patients (mean age 31 +/- 6 years; five female, one male) with spontaneous inferior rhegmatogenous macula-off retinal detachment. All patients were treated with encircling buckle surgery and five out of six underwent additional external drainage of subretinal fluid. Mean follow-up was 37 +/- 25 months (range 17-75 months) and included complete ophthalmic and OCT examination.
Results:
At 6 months, 100% of patients showed persistence of subretinal fluid on OCT. Four patients had diffuse fluid accumulation, whereas two patients showed a 'bleb-like' accumulation of fluid. This fluid was present independent of whether or not patients had been treated with external fluid drainage. Subretinal fluid only started to disappear on OCT between 6 and more than 12 months after surgery.
Conclusion:
Young patients with inferior macula-off retinal detachments and a marginally liquefied vitreous may show persisting postoperative subclinical fluid under the macula for longer periods of time than described previously.
