Unveiling macular displacement: endotamponade variations in retinal detachment repair outcomes

To compare the rates of macular displacement (MD) in patients with primary macula-off rhegmatogenous retinal detachments (RRD) who underwent pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) with either silicone-oil (SO) or perfluoropropane (C3F8) gas tamponade, and to investigate whether there is a correlation between MD and metamorphopsia.

This retrospective comparative study included fifty-three patients with macula-off RRD who underwent a single 25-gauge PPV surgery. The patients were divided into two groups based on the endotamponade used during surgery: 14% C3F8 gas (n=28) or SO (n=25). Demographic information, preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative characteristics were collected from medical records. Ophthalmological examinations were conducted, and data on various parameters, including perfluorocarbon liquid (PFCL) use, drainage retinotomy, MD rates, and presence of metamorphopsia, were assessed.

PFCL was used in all cases, and no patient underwent drainage retinotomy. MD was detected in 18 eyes (64.2%) in the gas tamponade group and 9 eyes (36.0%) in the SO group, and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (p=0.039). In both groups, 28 patients with suffered from metamorphopsia, but no significant correlation was found between MD and metamorphopsia in the gas group (p= 0.887).

The study suggests that MD rates differ significantly between patients who underwent PPV with SO or C3F8 gas tamponade. Furthermore, while MD was observed in both groups, it may not always result in metamorphopsia in most patients after detachment surgery.