Surgical outcomes in inferior recurrences of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment

To analyze the anatomical and functional outcomes in the inferior recurrences of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) depending on the surgical approach.

Eighty-one eyes of 81 patients (47 males and 34 females with a mean age of 54.8±14.1y) who demonstrated at least one inferior recurrence of RRD were included in this retrospective study. All patients were categorized as having received either circular scleral buckling (SB), pars plana vitrectomy (PPV), a combination of SB and PPV (SB+PPV), PPV with retinotomy (PPV+RT), or PPV+RT and short-term postoperative perfluorocarbon liquid tamponade (PPV+RT+pPFCL). All cases were followed up until successful retinal reattachment or third recurrence. The primary outcome measures were the achievement of the surgical goal without recurrence of RRD and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA).

After the treatment of the first recurrence, the recurrence rate in the PPV+SB group was statistically significantly lower than that of the PPV (P=0.0012), PPV+RT (P=0.028), or PPV+RT+pPFCL (P=0.047) group. There was no statistically significant difference between PPV+SB, PPV+RT, and PPV+RT+pPFCL groups in the recurrence rate after treatment of the second recurrence (42 eyes). However, there was a statistically significant (P=0.016) trend towards a decrease of recurrence rate after PPV+RT+pPFCL. There was no statistically significant improvement of BCVA in either study group (P>0.05) after both first and second recurrence surgery. The mean time follow-up was 109.0±91.0d before the first recurrence and 210.0±186.6d between previous surgery at second recurrence.

Patients with first inferior recurrence of RRD may benefit from SB as an adjunct to PPV. RT and short-term pPFCL tamponade in the second recurrence may allow better anatomical outcomes, however, without functional improvement.