Morphological and Perfusion Changes of the Macula Following Different Endotamponade Methods after Retinal Detachment Surgery
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 10, 2026
Ex Vivo OCT-Based Multimodal Imaging of Human Donor Eyes for Research into Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Published on: May 26, 2023
Doniyor Sadulla o'g'li Bobojonov1, Azamat Farhadovich Yusupov1
1Republican Specialized Scientific and Practical Medical Center of Eye Microsurgery, Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Purpose:
To evaluate and compare the morphological and perfusion changes of the macula following different endotamponade methods in patients undergoing retinal detachment repair surgery.
Methods:
A retrospective cohort study of 120 patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment who underwent pars plana vitrectomy with different endotamponade agents between January 2022 and May 2025. We divided patients into three groups: silicone oil (n=60), sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) gas (n=38), and perfluoropropane (C3F8) gas (n=22). We assessed macular morphology using optical coherence tomography (OCT) and evaluated perfusion parameters with OCT angiography (OCTA) at baseline and at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively. Primary outcomes included central macular thickness (CMT), macular volume, and perfusion density measurements.
Results:
Mean follow-up was 14.2 ± 3.8 months. At 12 months, the silicone oil group had significantly greater CMT (287.4 ± 42.3 μm) than SF6 (251.8 ± 28.9 μm, p<0.01).
Discussion:
Eyes treated with silicone oil showed persistent macular thickening, a higher rate of epiretinal membrane formation (23.3% vs. 7.9% and 9.1%), lower superficial and deep capillary plexus perfusion density, and a larger foveal avascular zone at 12 months than both gas groups. These structural and microvascular differences paralleled the poorer visual recovery in the silicone oil group (logMAR 0.47 vs. 0.34 and 0.31). Possible mechanisms include inflammatory and toxic effects of prolonged silicone oil contact, blood-retinal barrier disruption, and mechanical effects on the macular microcirculation. These associations should be interpreted with caution because the tamponade was not randomized, and silicone oil was more often used in complex cases.
Conclusions:
Different endotamponade agents affect macular morphology and perfusion differently following retinal detachment repair. Gas tamponades show better outcomes in macular thickness normalization and perfusion recovery than silicone oil, which may affect long-term visual outcomes.
