Statin use and vitreoretinal surgery: Findings from a Finnish population-based cohort study

Abstract

Purpose: Vitreoretinal (VR) surgery is the third most common intraocular surgery after refractive and cataract surgery. The impact of statin therapy on VR surgery outcomes remains unclear, despite a potentially beneficial effect. We explored the association of preoperative statin therapy and the need for revitrectomy after primary vitrectomy.

Methods: Our historical, population-based, register-based, VR surgery cohort consisted of 5709 patients operated in a tertiary, academic referral hospital in Finland, during 2008-2014, covering 6.5 years. Subgroup analysis was performed as follows: eyes operated due to (i) rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD), (ii) VR interface diseases (macular pucker/hole), (iii) diabetic maculopathy or proliferative retinopathy, (iv) vitreous haemorrhage, (v) lens subluxation, (vi) vitreous opacities or (vii) other VR indication. The primary end-point event was revitrectomy during a postoperative follow-up period of 1 year due to retinal redetachment, vitreous rehaemorrhage, postoperative endophthalmitis, recurrent pucker or unclosed macular hole.

Results: Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) was the second most frequent indication of VR surgery, including 1916 patients, with 305 re-operations with rate 0.20 (95% CI 0.18-0.23) per person-year. Statin treatment in time of operation was associated with lower risk of re-operation according to relative scale (incidence rate ratio 0.72, 95% CI 0.53-0.97), but not in absolute scale (incidence rate difference -0.58, 95% CI -4.30 to 3.15 for 100 person-years). No association with statin therapy and vitrectomy outcome was observed in the other VR subgroups.

Conclusion: Use of statin treatment was associated with a 28% lower risk of revitrectomy in patients operated due to RRD. Further randomized clinical trials are highly warranted.

Keywords: cohort study; epidemiology; proliferative vitreoretinopathy; rhegmatogenous retinal detachment; statin therapy; vitreoretinal surgery.