[The usefulness of echography in retinal surgery (author's transl)]

Upon utilization of echography one certainly will not be able to detect retinal defects; however, other parameters of retinal detachment which by means of solely optical examination techniques may remain undiagnosed can be evaluated successfully. This concerns not only the diagnosis of retinal detachment alone but also the measurement of the height of the detachment including its possible variations, the accuracy of this method being up to 0.1 mm. This will also apply to the distinction of serous, haemorrhagic and solid detachment of the choroid, the amount of liquefaction of a subchorioidal haemorrhage as well as the assessment of the relationships between vitreous membranes and retinal detachment: this applies especially to cases with hazy media and decreased visibility of the fundus. Accordingly clinical echography may be successfully applied, prior to retinal surgery, during the operation and during the postoperative follow-up.