Clinical Characteristics and Management Outcomes of Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachments Due to Retinal Dialysis

This work assesses the clinical characteristics and outcomes of various treatment methods in managing rhegmatogenous retinal detachments secondary to retinal dialysis.

In this retrospective, consecutive case series, patients presenting to a tertiary referral vitreoretinal service from 2015 to 2020 were chosen. The primary outcome measure was the single-surgery anatomic success (SSAS) rate in the first 90 days after surgery and overall SSAS rate until the last visit.

Eighty-six eyes of 84 patients were included. Mean (SD) age was 30 (14.8) years (range, 7-71 years). Fifty-nine (70%) patients were men and 55 eyes (64%) had a history of trauma. Dialysis occurred in the inferotemporal quadrant in 50 eyes (58%) of the entire cohort and 25 of 55 eyes (45%) with prior trauma. Fifty-one eyes (59.3%) were managed by scleral buckle (SB), 25 eyes (29.2%) with laser retinopexy, and 10 eyes (11.6%) with pars plana vitrectomy (PPV). The SSAS rate in the first 90 days after surgery was 94.1% (81 of 86 eyes), including 90.1% of eyes with SB, 100% of eyes with laser retinopexy, and 100% of eyes with PPV (P = .07). The overall SSAS rate, however, was 89.5% (77 of 86) eyes, including 90.1% of eyes with SB, 84% of eyes with laser retinopexy, and 100% of eyes with PPV (P = .4). Final attachment rate was 100% in the entire cohort.

With careful consideration of underlying pathology, all 3 treatment modalities can provide high rates of anatomic and functional success.