Surgical techniques and reattachment rates in retinal detachment due to macular hole

We evaluated reattachment rates of the transvitreal and transscleral techniques for treating 250 eyes with retinal detachment due to macular hole. The initial success rate of the transvitreal approach was 56% (53/94). There was no difference between the results of gas tamponade alone and vitrectomy and gas tamponade. The initial success rate of the transscleral approach was 83% (130/156). Macular diathermy and macular buckling showed a higher reattachment rate than macular diathermy alone. The final success rates were the same (95%), regardless of which approach was selected as an initial technique. The patients whose initial transvitreal reattachment failed and who underwent additional transvitreal procedures (including macular laser photocoagulation) showed a success rate of 93%. We believe that gas tamponade, which has possibility of better visual prognosis, should be selected as an initial technique because the final success rate was found to be the same regardless of the initial surgical techniques.