Results with a temporary balloon buckle for the repair of retinal detachment

We created temporary scleral buckles in 100 patients who had retinal detachments by inserting a balloon into the parabulbar space for one week. Cryopexy- or laser-induced adhesions were needed to make the attachments permanent. In 90 patients the balloon closed the retinal break and reattached the retina. In six instances the break reopened because of traction or poor adhesion and required a scleral sponge operation to reattach the retina permanently. The low complication rate may compensate for the increased risk of redetachment.