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Comparative Study
. 2013 Oct;156(4):661-6.
doi: 10.1016/j.ajo.2013.05.019. Epub 2013 Jul 20.

Cost comparison of scleral buckle versus vitrectomy for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment repair

Michael I Seider  1 , Ayman Naseri, Jay M Stewart
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Cost comparison of scleral buckle versus vitrectomy for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment repair

Michael I Seider et al. Am J Ophthalmol. 2013 Oct.

Abstract

Purpose: To estimate and compare the costs of scleral buckle (SB) and pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) for treatment of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD).

Design: Cost analysis based on published prospective data comparing SB and PPV for RRD repair.

Methods: The costs of initial surgery, postoperative retina-affecting procedures, and eventual cataract extraction resulting from SB and PPV for RRD repair were estimated for both phakic and pseudophakic or aphakic patients and then were compared. A univariate sensitivity analysis also was performed to examine the sensitivity of our estimations.

Results: When considering all costs, SB was 10.7% less expensive than PPV for RRD repair in phakic patients, whereas PPV was 12% less expensive than SB for RRD repair in pseudophakic or aphakic patients. These conclusions were robust in the sensitivity analysis.

Conclusions: SB seems to offer a modest cost savings over PPV for repair of RRD in phakic patients. However, in pseudophakic and aphakic patients, PPV seems to be less expensive than SB.

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Conflict of interest statement

b. Financial Disclosures: None

References

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