Abstract
Background
Oxane HD® is a “heavier-than-water” silicone oil which has a specific gravity of 1.02 g/cm3. When dispersed into droplets, one expects them to sink. We report a case of emulsification of Oxane HD in an eye that unexpectedly manifested as an “inverted hypopyon”.
Methods
The clinical findings of a 45-year-old man who underwent pars plana vitrectomy and Oxane HD endotamponade for a phakic inferior rhegmatogenous retinal detachment are described.
Results
A large silicone oil globule was noted to be floating in the anterior chamber on postoperative day 1. Emulsification of the globule and inverted hypopyon formation were subsequently observed at 2 months postoperatively.
Conclusions
Emulsification and inverted hypopyon formation in the anterior chamber may occur with Oxane HD. One explanation might be that the Oxane HD has separated out into its constituent components of silicone and RMN3, which raises questions as to the basis for its claim to be a heavier-than-water tamponade.
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Grant support: The study is supported in part by the University Development Fund, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong. One of the authors (DW) is a member of a research group focusing on the development of silicone oils with novel physical properties; this work is partly funded by a grant from the German government, and partly by Fluoron GmbH, Germany and the University of Liverpool.
Financial interest: The authors have no financial relationship with the products described in this report. The authors have full control of all primary data and agree to allow Graefe’s Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology to review our data upon request.
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Lai, W.W., Wong, D., Li, K.K. et al. Emulsification and inverted hypopyon formation of oxane HD in the anterior chamber. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 246, 1633–1635 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-008-0851-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-008-0851-2