Objective: The purpose of the study was to determine the predictors of success and evaluate the use of perfluoroperhydrophenanthrene as an intraoperative and postoperative tool in the management of giant retinal tears in a multicentered collaborative study.
Design: Multicentered prospective case series.
Participants: Twenty-three centers consecutively enrolled 162 eyes of 161 patients with retinal tears 90 degrees or greater in circumferential extent.
Intervention: Perfluoroperhydrophenanthrene was used as an intraoperative surgical adjunct in all cases and left after surgery in 16 eyes (9.9%).
Main outcome measures: Retinal reattachment and visual acuity.
Results: Intraoperative reattachment was achieved in 158 eyes (97.5%); 147 eyes (90.7%) remained attached at their most recent follow-up. Seventy-nine eyes (48.8%) experienced an improvement in their visual acuity, 26 eyes (16.0%) remained unchanged, and 57 (35.2%) worsened. Recurrent retinal detachment occurred in 80 patients (49.4%). Other significant postoperative complications included cataract formation in 20 (39.2%) of 51 eyes, macular pucker in 12 (7.4%), corneal decompensation in 10 (6.2%), and hypotony (intraocular pressure equal to or less than 5 mmHg) in 9 (5.6%). A chi-square analysis of preoperative characteristics showed that hypotony (P = 0.007), macular detachment (P = 0.020), a history of cataract extraction (P = 0.003), poor visual acuity (P = 0.000), giant tear extent greater than 180 degrees (P = 0.004), and higher grade proliferative vitreoretinopathy (P = 0.000) all predicted a poor visual outcome. Vitreon (Vitrophage, Inc., Lyons, IL) was left in 16 eyes (9.9%) for an extended postoperative retinal tamponade for between 3 and 1034 days (mean, 87.2 days). The Vitreon was well tolerated, and these eyes experienced a similar outcome and rate of retinal reattachment to the rest of the group.
Conclusions: Vitreon is a safe and useful adjunct to pars plana vitrectomy in the management of giant retinal tears and may, additionally, be the perfluorocarbon liquid that can be used most safely as a temporary postoperative tool for extended retinal tamponade, reinforcing its role as a useful adjunct in the management of these complex retinal detachments.