Efficacy of short-term postoperative perfluoro-n-octane tamponade for pediatric complex retinal detachment

To evaluate the efficacy of perfluoro-n-octane as a postoperative short-term tamponade after vitrectomy in pediatric cases with complex retinal detachment (RD) and proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR).

Prospective, noncomparative, interventional case series.

The medical records of 10 eyes of 9 children (6 boys and 3 girls), whose age ranged from 3 months to 11 years, with a median of 7.5 months, were reviewed. The cause of the PVR was retinopathy of prematurity (7 eyes of 6 patients); familial exudative vitreoretinopathy; or tractional RD associated with congenital optic nerve anomalies,(1) and persistent fetal vasculature. Perfluoro-n-octane was injected into the eyes at the primary surgery in 2 eyes and at the repeat surgeries in 8 eyes. The perfluoro-n-octane was removed after 1 to 4 postoperative weeks. The patients were followed for 5 to 43 months.

At the last examination, the retinas were reattached in 8 eyes (80%). In the other two eyes, a retinal attachment was not obtained. Postoperatively, the best-corrected visual acuity improved from hand motion to 0.1 in 1 eye and could not be measured in the other 9 patients because of their ages. No apparent adverse events related to the use of perfluoro-n-octane were noted.

Although cautions should be exercised regarding potential mechanical retinal injuries by heavy liquids in the eye, short-term perfluoro-n-octane tamponade was effective in pediatric cases with severe PVR in which retinal reattachment is considered to be difficult with conventional gas or silicone oil tamponade.