Primary Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment Repair by Pars Plana Vitrectomy with and without Scleral Buckling: A...

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Retinal Surgery

Background:

• Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) is a condition requiring surgical intervention.
• Scleral buckling (SB) combined with pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) and PPV alone are surgical options for RRD repair.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the anatomical and visual outcomes of RRD repair using combined PPV/SB versus PPV alone.
• To evaluate the efficacy of different surgical approaches for primary RRD repair.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective observational study analyzed data from 683 patients who underwent primary RRD repair between 2013 and 2019.
• Propensity analysis was used to compare outcomes between patients treated with PPV/SB (211 patients) and PPV alone (472 patients).
• Primary outcomes included single surgery anatomic success and final anatomic success; visual acuity changes were the secondary outcome.

Main Results:

• No significant difference was observed in single surgery anatomic success (p=0.776) or final anatomic success (p=0.272) between the PPV/SB and PPV alone groups.
• The incidence of proliferative vitreoretinopathy was similar in both groups (26.5% vs. 22.0%, p=0.199).
• Patients undergoing PPV alone demonstrated a significantly greater mean improvement in visual acuity (p <0.001).

Conclusions:

• Combining SB with PPV offers minimal additional benefit for anatomical success in RRD repair.
• PPV alone appears to be superior in improving visual acuity after RRD surgery.
• Further prospective studies are warranted to confirm these findings and standardize surgical techniques.