Comparison of Pneumatic Retinopexy and Scleral Buckle for Primary Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment Repair

Abstract

Background and objective: To compare pneumatic retinopexy (PR) and scleral buckle for the repair of primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachment.

Patients and methods: Retrospective analysis of 90 patients undergoing surgery for primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachment, with 46 patients undergoing PR compared with 44 patients undergoing scleral buckle procedure (SBP).

Results: Both groups had similar baseline characteristics. Single surgery reattachment rate was 95.5% with SBP and 67% with PR (P = .00057). Final reattachment rate was 100% with SBP and 97.8% with PR. A final visual acuity (VA) of 20/40 or better occurred in 89% of patients with SBP and 72% of patients with PR (P = .04). PR and SBP had a similar mean VA if the primary procedures were successful, whereas those patients with unsuccessful PR had lower mean final acuities.

Conclusions: This study demonstrates that SBP has a significantly higher rate of single surgery reattachment than PR, along with improved final VA. Initial success of PR may be an important predictor of final visual outcome. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 2017;48:887-893.].

Figure 1

Mean logMAR visual acuity plotted over time in the year following retinal reattachment surgery demonstrates that patients with successful PR and SBP have similar visual acuity outcomes (blue and green bars). Patients who had an unsuccessful PR (red bar) had a significantly worse visual outcome even after 1 year, with a logMAR visual acuity of 0.51 (Snellen equivalent of 20/65) versus 0.11 (Snellen equivalent of 20/25) for those patients with a successful PR.