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COMPARING PERIPHERAL VITRECTOMY UNDER AIR AND FLUID INFUSION FOR PRIMARY RHEGMATOGENOUS RETINAL DETACHMENT
Gurkan Erdogan1, Cihan Unlu, Bugra Karasu
1Umraniye Training and Research Hospital, Eye Clinic, Istanbul, Turkey.
Purpose:
To evaluate the efficacy and safety of peripheral vitrectomy under air infusion in comparison with fluid infusion in patients undergoing 23-gauge pars plana vitrectomy for primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachment.
Methods:
A total of 80 eyes of 80 patients with primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachment were enrolled into the study. Forty cases underwent peripheral vitrectomy under air infusion (air group), and a control group of equal number underwent peripheral vitrectomy under fluid infusion (fluid group). Peripheral iatrogenic retinal breaks during peripheral vitrectomy, postoperative visual acuities, and retinal redetachment rates were compared.
Results:
The number of eyes with peripheral iatrogenic retinal breaks in air group during peripheral vitrectomy was statistically comparable with that in fluid group (1/40 and 4/40, 2.5% and 10%, respectively; P = 0.16). Scleral depression was necessitated in 7 of 40 cases (17.5%) during the operation in the air group. There were no statistically significant differences between the groups in means of postoperative visual acuity and retinal redetachment (P = 0.18 and P = 1.0, respectively).
Conclusion:
Peripheral vitrectomy under air infusion for primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachment revealed comparable results with fluid infusion in terms of intraoperative and postoperative complications and surgical outcomes.

