[Clinical experiences with polyurethane soft foam fillings for retinal surgery]

Polyurethane sponge was used for scleral buckling in 165 patients suffering from retinal detachment. This material showed good tissue compatibility and the therapeutic procedure was successful in 90% of the cases thus treated. In 10 patients polyurethane was used with success for cerclage. Postoperative complications observed were infection of the sponge in one patient and conjunctival dehiscence in two. Polyurethane sponge is less elastic than silicone sponge but has the same scleral buckling effect.