Re-Vitrectomy versus Combined Re-Vitrectomy with Scleral Buckling for Pediatric Recurrent Retinal Detachment

To compare re-vitrectomy versus combined re-vitrectomy with scleral buckling (SB) for pediatric recurrent rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) following failed primary pars plana vitrectomy (PPV).

This was a retrospective, comparative case series of pediatric patients (under 18 years) who underwent secondary RRD procedures after failed primary PPV. Patients were divided into the re-vitrectomy and the combined re-vitrectomy with SB groups. The primary outcome was the anatomical success rate for each procedure. The secondary outcomes were changes in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and postoperative complications.

In the re-vitrectomy group (30 eyes), the final anatomical success rate was 83.3% (25/30) after a mean follow-up of 21.7 + 6.9 months. The final anatomical success rate in the combined re-vitrectomy/SB group (23 eyes) was 73.9% (17/23) after a mean follow-up of 26.5 + 7.7 months. There was no statistically significant difference in the final anatomical success rate (P = 0.41) and the mean change in BCVA (P = 0.37) between the two groups. Even though not statistically significant, the combined re-vitrectomy/SB group had a lower incidence of postoperative complications (P = 0.25).

Re-vitrectomy alone provides similar anatomical and functional outcomes to combined re-vitrectomy/SB for pediatric recurrent RRD after failed primary PPV.