High-density silicone oil as an intraocular tamponade in complex retinal detachments

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of high-density silicone oil (HDSO) as an internal retinal tamponade after vitrectomy for complicated retinal detachment.

Retrospective, non-randomized study.

Forty-one eyes of 41 patients who were 5-73 years of age.

Medical records of patients with retinal detachment (RD) complicated with inferior proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) requiring internal tamponade with HDSO were reviewed. Eyes with retinal vascular diseases and inflammatory diseases were excluded from the study. Follow-up examinations were scheduled at 1 week and 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after the initial surgery.

Median value of follow-up was 8 months (range, 3-40 months). Twenty-five patients had rhegmatogenous RD with significant PVR and the remaining patients had complicated RD secondary to trauma. Preoperative visual acuity was 2.55 ± 0.75 logMAR, which became 1.89 ± 0.91 at the last follow-up visit (p < 0.05). Complications included increased intraocular pressure (9.7%), hypotony (2.4%), cataract (57.1%), silicone oil in anterior chamber (17%), persistent total corneal edema (7.3%), band keratopathy (7.3%), and significant inflammation (2.4%). Intraretinal or subretinal fibrosis was found in 12 eyes (29.2%). HDSO removal was performed after a mean period of 5.7 months (range, 3-34 months) in 34 patients. The anatomical success was 87.8%.

The high anatomical success rate of 87.8% is a satisfactory result for these complicated RD cases. Subretinal proliferations and early emulsification limit the results. Further studies, with longer follow-ups and more patients, are needed to be conclusive.