[Treatment of retinal detachment caused by posterior pole dehiscence]

20 eyes have been treated for a retinal detachment due to a posterior pole break. Three successive, different operative techniques were used: macular silastic sponge, vitrectomy plus internal tamponade by silicone oil, vitrectomy plus internal tamponade by air or by a mixture of air 60% and SF6 40%. Macular sponges obtained a good rate of retinal reattachment (83.3%) but fonctionnal results are poor (no measurable visual acuity in the macular break cases). Vitrectomy plus silicone oil does not yield better anatomical results than sponges (66.6% succes rate) but the visual function is better preserved (2 measureable visual acuities on 3 macular break cases). Vitrectomy plus gas gave us the best anatomical (100% success rate) and functional results (4 measurable usual acuities on 6 macular break cases). Retinopexy is not necessary when the vitrectomy-gas technique is used. On the contrary, retinopexy is recommended when the vitrectomy-silicone technique is used in order to remove the silicone oil as safely as possible: this causes a dilemma in the case of a macular break. We think at the present time that vitrectomy-gas is the best way to treat these particular retinal detachments.